Generations
by Laura Picken
Summary: A murder in Chinatown leads the Guardians to discover even more of the history of their abilities. Caskett and Esplanie throughout, but not the focus. Continues the "Four Winds" series.
1. Chapter 1

Four Winds: Generations  
A Castle Fantasy AU  
By Laura Picken

This story is in the continuing series of Castle fan fiction based on my fantasy alternate universe story "Four Winds". If you want to read the story, click on my author page, otherwise, here's a quick summary (we're multiple stories into the series, I'm not explaining this in the story *anymore*): Castle, Beckett, Lanie, Esposito and Ryan are struck by ball lighting in the loft on a dark and stormy poker night and wake up with superpowers: Ryan's a powerful telepath, Esposito can get your entire life story by shaking your hand, Beckett has five super-heightened senses and can speak to the dead, Lanie can heal the living by touch, and Castle's a wizard. There's other scattered abilities here and there, but that's the basic gist of it. Not freaked out by the concept yet? Then read on and enjoy :-).

For very loose timeline purposes, Castle fans can place this somewhere in the post-"Always" future: Castle and Beckett are a firmly established couple, Beckett's back on the force and Ryan has fought his way out of the doghouse. Season five might make it into the canon of this series if I'm still writing it in September, but right now I make no promises.

DISCLAIMER: Castle, Beckett, et al. are property of Andrew W. Marlowe and ABC. The legends described herein are inventions of my own twisted imagination and should not be taken to reflect the traditions of any particular group. All non-English language phrases are courtesy of Google Translate, so please forgive me if I get anything unintentionally wrong.

Okay, enough business, let the adventure begin!

* * *

"Okay dad, you remember how clouds are formed?"

Castle nodded. "They're condensed water vapor. Clouds go from white to gray as the water concentration increases, until finally it rains."

"And when clouds form at ground level."

"The fog comes a-rolling in."

Alexis crossed until she was behind her father for safety. "So dad, first I want you to try creating a cloud, then increasing it until it rains, and finally a controlled burst of fire to burn it off. Okay?"

Beckett frowned at Alexis, confused and a little nervous. "But Lex, what if the fire goes out of control? And what about the steam? Are you sure it's safe for us to be here?"

Castle was the one to reply to her question. "I have a spell I refresh every time I walk in this room that automatically shields me, the room, and anyone else in here from any damage my practice could cause. We'll be fine." He took a deep breath in and let it out slowly. Castle focused on finding the water molecules in the atmosphere of the room, willing them to come together in the room's center.

Beckett watched as a small, wispy cloud materialized in the center of the room, then gradually condensed further and further until a small, puffy white cloud had formed. She drew in a breath through her mouth, realizing quickly that the air now felt bone-dry. Beckett noticed how hard her boyfriend seemed to be concentrating just to maintain that small cloud. "Is all the humidity in this room in that cloud, Castle?" He nodded.

Alexis was in full guide mode. "Total control over the elements has to mean being able to create them as well, Dad. Add more water to it."

Castle was starting to sweat from the mental exertion. He willed more water molecules to be created and merge with the existing cloud, growing until the cloud filled almost half the room. Castle closed his eyes, pushing the molecules to concentrate until the cloud was about half its size and matched the slate gray of the floor.

The rain started within seconds, pouring out of the cloud at a rate that left Beckett quite impressed. Alexis noticed her father's trembling, though, and sensed he wouldn't be able to keep this up much longer. "You're doing great, dad. Now use fire to dissipate the cloud."

The unexpected power of the fire knocked Castle off his feet and had the two women shielding their eyes. A wall of flash-fire roared across the room, instantly turning the water in the cloud and the growing puddle on the floor back into steam-which turned the air in the room into a combination of acrid black smoke and hot, humid, white steam.

It wasn't deadly, but it wasn't a picnic to breathe, either. Alexis pushed her way through the coffin to get a breath of fresh air in the main room. An odd thought occurred to Castle as the mess dissipated. Needing the rest and distraction, he invited Beckett to sit near the open coffin door and asked, "Hey, have you called your dad yet to invite him over to the loft for Thanksgiving?"

Beckett suddenly seemed unable to look Castle in the eye, so he pressed harder, slightly miffed at her reaction. "You haven't told him about *us* yet, have you? *When* were you planning to tell him? Or were you just waiting for me to do it when I asked him for your hand?"

"I tried, okay!" Beckett finally replied defensively.

"When?" Castle asked with increasing annoyance, "When's the last time you talked to him?"

Beckett hesitated before admitting, "Just after my reinstatement. Before that, the last time we had talked was just after the whole zombie thing..."

Castle made the connections immediately, and his anger dissipated as quickly as the raincloud had. Before Cole Maddox. Before a beaten Kate Beckett spent a near-eternity hanging off that ledge by her fingertips.

Before her world completely changed.  
And then changed again.

"Look," Castle began gently, shifting his position until he was able to take her hands into his own. "You already know that my mother knows nothing about the Guardians, so we were going to have to have a 'powers-free' holiday anyway. But...you know your dad is going to be happy if he knows your happy, right?" As Beckett nodded, Castle continued, "So call him, okay? Invite him to dinner."

Beckett nodded her agreement, and the couple embraced. Alexis let them have their moment, but soon she could hold back her teasing no longer. "Hey Dad," she poked her head through the coffin to ask him, "Do you even remember how to actually *cook*?"

Castle returned Alexis' teasing. "Well, I hope you remember how to peel potatoes, because that's what you'll be doing *all* Thanksgiving morning now..."

Beckett couldn't help but smile as she followed them through to the main room, listening to the affectionate banter and play between her boyfriend and his daughter. Her attention was cut off by the ringing of her phone. "This is Detective Beckett."

With nothing handy to write down the information with, Beckett repeated the information dispatch gave her three times to lock it into her memory. She ended the phone call and yelled to her partner, "Castle, we gotta go, we've got a body."

"Can dad take me home first?" asked Alexis. "It's so much easier to take the train from Manhattan than it is from here..."

Beckett shrugged, "I don't see why not. Castle, come back afterwards and we'll drive to the scene from here."

Castle went home with Alexis and returned before Beckett had so much as an opportunity to blink twice. "Sorry honey," he ad-libbed with a wink and a sly smile, "guess we'll just have to pick up coffee on the way..."

* * *

Kate Beckett hated working Chinatown cases_. _Not because of the cases, or the people, or even the language barrier. No, she hated Chinatown because most of the time the apartments were so small that the team couldn't work with more than one or two people at a time in the room with the victim. Which meant working the cases took two or three times longer than usual.

Castle and Beckett were met by Esposito as they finished coming up the 6th flight of stairs. "Hey Esposito," Beckett greeted him, "What do we got?"

Esposito pulled out his notebook to inform his teammates. "Our victim's name is Sonam Kundun, 21 years old. His mother found the body this morning, and has been trying to keep the boy's grandfather out of the room ever since. Something about needing to read the book of the dead over the body..."

"Kundun was Tibetan?" asked Castle.

Esposito replied, "Yeah, how'd you know?"

"Researched the topic for a book I never ended up writing," Castle replied.

"Did the grandfather get into the room with the body before we got there?" Beckett asked.

Esposito replied, "I can't tell, grandpa speaks no English and the mother doesn't speak all that much."

"In that case," offered Castle, "anyone mind if I try something?"

Beckett and Esposito shook their heads...until Beckett stopped, feeling the tell-tale itch of Castle's magic on her skin-but only behind the ears. "Okay Castle, what are you trying?"

"Translation spell-hopefully," Castle replied nervously, "Never tested it, though, so I have no idea if it'll work."

Beckett sighed. She *hated* using crime scenes as testing sites because they needed to gather such a large amount of information in such a short amount of time. _Still, if it works it would save us a hell of a lot of time trying to find a translator who speaks Tibetan..._"If it doesn't work, you'll reverse it immediately, agreed?"

Castle threw up his hands in an expression of defeat, "Agreed!"

They walked into the apartment to find the kitchen had become the staging area for the skeleton team of forensic experts and medical examiners that couldn't get into the bedroom. Beckett went to the bedroom door to find Lanie and one other tech were all that could fit. She greeted her friend, "Hi Lanie."

"Hello to you too, sunshine," Lanie greeted her back, wrinkling her nose at the smell Beckett seemed to trail in with her. "Wooh, girl, did you two just come from a pool hall in Jersey or something?"

"Flame throwing practice," replied Beckett casually. "So what do we got?"

Lanie shook her head at her friend's offhand comment that she knew probably spoke supernatural volumes. Refocusing her energies back to the case at hand, Lanie informed Beckett, "Someone went to a great deal of trouble to make it look like Mr. Kundun here killed himself."

"But he didn't?" asked Beckett.

"Nope," replied Lanie. "The killer tried to make it look like he performed the ritual of seppuku. But there are two big problems with that theory-"

Beckett was able to complete the first part of the sentence quickly, "the first being that Mr, Kundun was Tibetan and not Japanese-"

Lanie completed her sentence, "and the second problem is that seppuku, done right and while you're still alive, is messy as hell. We'd both be covered in his blood and I'd be bagging up his intestines."

"Ew," commented Beckett.

"Uh huh. So the fact that our friend here is mostly intact leads me to believe the giant knife wound in his abdomen was inflicted post-mortem, possibly not even here."

"So how did Mr. Kundun here die?"

"I was hit on the back of the head," said a voice behind Beckett, "and that's the last thing I remember."

A chill ran down Beckett's spine as she realized that the voice probably belonged to the spirit of Sonam Kundun. Trying to keep herself composed, she asked Lanie, "Did you check his skull?"

Without giving it a second thought, Lanie started feeling around the body's scalp, smiling slightly as she felt her given target. "I can't confirm that this is what killed him," commented Lanie, "but it woulda hurt like hell."

Beckett heard Sonam behind her exclaim in a whisper, "Grandpa..."

Beckett turned to see an frail old man shuffle slowly toward Castle, having been released from the confines of the second bedroom. The shock on his face was evident and powerful. As the room fell into hushed silence, the man fell at Castle's feet and loudly declared,

"Oh my lord and master Sìfāng, I am your humble slave Tenzin. How may I serve you?"

**Credit and thanks must go to someguyshere for giving me the idea of piggybacking Castle's elemental abilities on top of each other. He may not have the hang of it yet, but he'll get there. ;-). Oh, and for those who gave me their votes at the end of "On the Job Training", I'm going to do a little of both. Which means the journal will show up soon. :-D And hey, if Tenzin ends up sounding like Joel Grey in Remo Williams to you, I'm okay with that.**


	2. Chapter 2

"Okay," Lanie asked Beckett, "I've seen people have some crazy reactions to seeing Richard Castle, but this is ridiculous." Lanie's eyes went wide, though, as Castle encouraged the old man to get back up on his feet. She turned to her friend and asked in a whisper, "and how the *hell* is he talking to the man in Tibetan?"

Beckett coughed to get Castle's attention and indicated subtly that the wizard should expand the translation spell. Castle saw the confusion on both Lanie's and Ryan's faces and expanded the range of the spell to include them. Now satisfied with who was 'covered', Castle asked the old man, "Why did you call yourself my slave?"

Tenzin's face blanched. "Fo-forgive me, master. My family has served the Guardians for generations, b-b-but after we escaped to America I believed that the gods had decreed the Age of the Guardians was over. I should have had more faith." Tenzin collapsed on the ground at Castle's feet once more, "Please, I beg you to forgive my lack of faith, Master Sìfāng, please..."

Beckett heard a gasp from Sonam's spirit beside her. "The Guardians? Y-You guys really exist?"

Castle was starting to feel more embarrassed by the minute, especially since the forensic investigators were now starting to stare at them. "You can get back up, Tenzin. Just...don't do that again."

Sonam's spirit was in its own world of shock. "Grandpa Tenzin used to tell us stories about the Guardians when we were kids...I always thought they were just stories, y'know, like the Greek gods...or Santa Claus..."

"Yes, Master Sìfāng," Tenzin said to Castle. Remembering his other transgression, Tenzin then confessed, "Forgive me as well, master, for not acknowledging you and the other guardians when you arrived. Since I have not had to use my gift in so long, master, I could not recognize you unless all five of you are together-" Tenzin's eyes widened in disbelief as he recognized what his gift was telling him. His gaze went from Beckett to Lanie and back to Beckett again. "Women? The Lièrén and Yīzhì, women? Truly this is a revolutionary age..." he gasped. Tenzin once again remembered his place, and bowed his head low without falling to his knees, as Castle had ordered. "Please forgive me, Mistress Lièrén, Mistress Yīzhì, I mean no disrespect..."

Ryan was *beyond* confused. _Okay, what gives, Castle? _he projected. _I've been trying everything I could think of to get through to this guy, and the minute you get here he starts speaking English..._

_You're hearing English now, too? _Castle responded, trying to physically hide his excitement. _That's so cool! I think everybody else is hearing Tibetan when we speak to Tenzin, if I worded it correctly..._

_A translation spell? _asked Ryan.

Castle replied, _Yeah. Neat, huh?_

_It has potential, Castle... _Ryanadmitted.

Tenzin recognized the telltale aura movement of telepathic conversation immediately. He turned toward Ryan with a wide-eyed stare of excited recognition. "You must be the Zhànshì Mùshī," he exclaimed. "But then why were you not able to understand me before the arrival of the Sìfāng..." Tenzin gasped as his eyes jumped out even wider, and his hands flew to his face to cover his wide open mouth. "By the gods, you are like the *Firsts*! No wonder I couldn't recognize you. My, my, my, there is so much for you to *learn*..."

Tenzin started to putter around the apartment gathering supplies when Beckett stopped him. "Tenzin, we came here about your grandson," she told him.

"My...grandson?" It took a moment for Tenzin to recognize who they meant. "Oh yes, the boy. Terrible tragedy that, terrible. Why, the aura of revenge still hangs about that room like a curtain..."

"The aura of revenge?" asked Castle.

Lanie slipped quietly back into the room where the body was found as the old man bobbed his head excitedly. "Oh yes, Master Sìfāng. That is my gift, you see, reading auras. Of course, I used to be ever so much better at it-these old eyes simply aren't what they used to be without the attention of the Yīzhì. That's how I recognized you as Guardians, Master Sìfāng: when the five of you are together your auras mingle and connect with each other in the most interesting way..."

Beckett was starting to realize that they were going to have to carefully control the conversation if they had any shot at getting pertinent information out of the old man. "When did you discover the body, Tenzin?"

"Oh, I'd say it was about two hours ago, now," the old man replied. "I wanted to read the book of the dead over his body right away, but his mother insisted I contact the skur srung ba right away. Clearly, though, her desire was given to her by the gods, because I would not have known you had been given the blessing if you hadn't been contacted..."

Beckett asked, "You said you felt the aura of revenge in the room, earlier. Do you know anyone who might have wanted to have revenge on Sonam?"

"Oh no, Mistress Lièrén," Tenzin replied, "but you'll have to ask his mother about that. The boy had barely spoken to me in months. I tried to get through to him, Mistress Lièrén, but he was so young and foolish..."

"I wish I had listened, Grandpa," Sonam's spirit said wistfully. "Maybe if I had listened..."

"What were you doing before you found Sonam?" asked Ryan.

Tenzin seemed inspired to look for something else as he continued to answer their questions. "I was at the community garden picking herbs for my tea, Master Mùshī. The last Yīzhì, beautiful soul that he was, told me to make this cup of tea every morning and by the gods, I have followed his instructions. Although the mint in the garden was looking a bit disappointing today, so I had to stop by the local merchant and purchase some from him. Nice boy, that merchant..."

Esposito asked, "Was Sonam here when you left this morning?"

Tenzin turned to Esposito, realizing that he had yet to address the fifth Guardian. He clicked his heels together and bowed as low as his neck would allow. "No, Master Xiānzhī, he was not."

The Guardians looked to each other to see if anyone else had questions for the old man. When no one spoke up, Castle took the lead. "Thank you, Tenzin."

"My pleasure to serve, Master Sìfāng." Tenzin went back to puttering around, looking for whatever he was looking for.

A woman stood in the doorway to the apartment. Her face grew red with anger as she watched Tenzin move around. "Grandpa Tenzin, are you getting in the way of letting the police find out who killed my son, because so help me I-"

Sonam's spirit's voice finally broke down. "Mom-"

"I'm sorry, Ms-?" asked Beckett.

"Choden Dohna," the woman replied.

"Ms. Dohna," continued Beckett, "Tenzin has been very helpful to our investigation, and we don't need anything in the rooms he's been going through. And I'd like to ask you a couple of questions, if you don't mind."

Choden nodded. "Sure."

"You were with Tenzin when you discovered the body, correct?" asked Beckett. When Choden nodded, Beckett continued, "Were you home before that?"

Choden replied, "No. I work nights cleaning offices. I was just getting home from work when-" Her voice trailed off in a strangled sob.

"What was your son like, Ms. Dohna?" asked Castle.

"Quiet," replied Choden, "Shy. He was such a good little boy-"

After Choden let out another choked sob, Beckett was pretty sure she wasn't going to get much out of the woman that day. She handed the woman her business card. "I'm so sorry for your loss, Ms. Dohna. Can you come by the precinct later and talk to us?" Choden nodded wordlessly.

Beckett looked into the bedroom crime scene to find that Lanie had quietly packed up the body, the dagger and the 'suicide note' while she was speaking with Sonam's mother. The ME's team started the grim process of hauling the body out of the tiny apartment, eliciting a series of pain-filled cries out of the young man's mother. Tenzin put a firm hand on the woman's shoulder. "He's not there, anymore, snying sdug." He leveled a knowing look at Beckett as he told Choden, "he's in the Bardo, waiting to cross over. I'll bet his spirit is here with us even now, trying to help-" Beckett nodded in confirmation of Tenzin's implied question.

The detective let the ME leave with the body and major evidence before entering the bedroom to make one last sweep. Castle stood in the bedroom doorframe, able to be there for her if she needed it without getting in her way in the small space. "Anything?" he asked her.

"Still...looking..." Beckett replied. She was scanning the room inch by inch, trying to find anything out of place...knowing that even the smallest detail could lead them to Sonam's killer. "C'mon, Sonam," Beckett quietly asked the spirit, "What am I missing?" She turned and noticed that a tiny nail was sticking out of the doorframe. Focusing on it, she noticed a few fibers of torn clothing...and the unmistakeable color of drying blood. Beckett raised her voice just loud enough to get attention. "I need a tech here!" One of the forensic techs came to her side, mimicking her kneeling position. She pointed out the tiny nail. "I need that nail for possible DNA testing."

After everything he had seen, the tech was too shocked to do anything other than reflexively obey on command. "Yes, detective," he replied, grabbing a pair of police-issued needle nosed pliers to pry the nail out of the door.

Satisfied that she had gotten what little evidence there was to find in the tiny room, Beckett turned to the door, which Castle knew was their cue to leave. As Castle led Beckett out of the room and the team gathered to leave, Tenzin stopped them at the apartment door and pressed a leather-bound journal into the wizard's hands. "Master Sìfāng," insisted Tenzin, "Please take this. I believe you will find it a powerful resource on your journey."

While Castle was unsure what to make of the eccentric little old man in front of him, he knew he couldn't risk the headaches that would come from doing something as potentially rude as refusing a gift. He took the journal with a simple nod of his head. "Thank you, Tenzin."

The old man bowed his head as low as he could. "I am honored to serve the Guardians once again, Sìfāng."

* * *

"So what do you guys make of the old man?" asked Ryan.

Beckett replied, "I'm at a loss. I'd have blown him off as crazy, but he seemed so sure of everything he talked about. And he got everybody's titles dead on, even though they're Chinese." As the other three heads nodded, Beckett turned to Esposito. "Did you 'get' anything from him?"

Esposito shook his head, "Not a thing. Kinda surprised me-usually I get everything off a handshake nowadays. But with him, I got nothin'."

"Castle, what do you think?" asked Beckett. When she got no response from her boyfriend, she pressed on, "Castle? Castle?" Finally, in the third floor hallway, she decided to stop Castle before his level of distraction caused them all to fall down the stairs. Beckett grabbed his shoulder to physically get his attention. "Castle!"

The forceful touch got Castle's attention immediately. "Oh-sorry Beckett, I was distracted..."

"Yeah, no kidding," Beckett replied. "You haven't taken your head out of that book for more than two seconds since we left the crime scene. Is it that interesting?"

"No, that's just it," replied Castle. "I can't read it at all. I've been trying to work out what I need to change in the translation spell to make it work. I think I might have had it when you stopped me..." He focused his conversation back on the book for just a moment..."There! That should do it..."

Castle flipped through the book, satisfied to see that the barely legible Tibetan had now turned to only slightly more legible English. He gasped, though, as he turned to the inside cover and read it's inscription:

"The journal of Jamyang Kunchen, Guardian of Shangri La"


	3. Chapter 3

Beckett found it impossible not to smile as she carefully steered her partner into the car, his eyes never leaving the journal for a second. One of the things she loved about Rick Castle was his boundless curiosity. It was a rare day that Castle didn't find some new thing that was intriguing, entertaining, exciting or just plain fun. And those days of full-on boredom had become nearly non-existent since they had been entrusted with the abilities of the Guardians. For a man that seemingly wanted to know everything about everything, the greatest gift he could have possibly been given was the ability to look at the world from an entirely new perspective. "Guess you can read that book now, huh, Castle?" Beckett teased.

Castle's head popped up when he realized Beckett was talking to him. He shook off the disorientation as he realized where he was and what he had just done. "Oh! Sorry, Kate."

"What are you finding so fascinating in that book?"

Castle was already so absorbed in the book that he almost didn't hear Beckett's question. "Hmmm? Oh, sorry, Beckett. This is a Guardian's journal. It belonged to one of my ancient counterparts. Listen to this..."

* * *

Master Choden has moved on to the Bardo.

The gifts of the Guardians have been passed on once more.

I have studied for this all my life. Trained for it. Prepared for it as my ancestors have for thousands of years. And yet nothing is as beautiful, as powerful, or as frightening, as the first time you open your eyes to the world after you have received the blessing. I felt as if the world had been laid in servitude at my feet; I wanted to ride the wind and baptize the lands before me in water and fire.

Yet only when I saw my brothers going through their rebirth pains did I remember the truth: that I am but the Sìfāng; the shield-source for my brethren. They were each curled in separate corners, Jampa's screams growing Dorje's pain, which only hurt Jampa all the more. I wanted desperately to protect both of them. Still, even with all these powers that I felt had no limit, I knew that there was no way that I could protect them from what we all knew they needed to experience. Master Choden taught us that the true strength in the blessing of the Guardians lies not in the power, but in each other. I have never understood how true that was until now.

It is quiet now; Dorje and Jampa have finally settled into their gifts and we have been allowed to retreat to our rooms for rest and meditation. Tomorrow we will begin our service to the gods, to our ancestors, to our brothers and to our home. I can only hope I will prove worthy of the blessing I have now been given.

* * *

"How close was that to what you went through?" asked Beckett.

"Pretty close. I was more frightened, of course, because we knew so little of what was going on, but I felt a lot of the things he felt while we were in the loft and in the Hamptons."

"But that's not all you're thinking about, is it?"

Castle shook his head. "Meeting Tenzin kinda threw me for a loop. And no, it's not because the first thing he did was fall at my feet. He said his family has served the Guardians for *generations*."

"Yeah-?"

"You remember that show "Greatest American Hero" back in the '80s?"

"You think Tenzin might have the instruction manual?"

"Have the instruction manual, has given me the instruction manual, might *be* the instruction manual, I'm not sure yet. But the one thing I do know is that right now I've got a lot of reading to do."

* * *

The Murder board had usually been Beckett's best tool to collect her thoughts whenever she got a new case. It was the best place to compile information, compare notes with Ryan and Esposito, and talk through theories with Castle until the truth poked its head out of the pile of paperwork that inevitably accumulated during a complex murder case. Sometimes, though, they started the case with so little information that most of the board was blank. A big, white dry erase board with little more on it than the victim's name and a very basic start to the timeline.

_I wonder if this is how Castle feels when he gets writer's block, _she thought idly.

_It would be kinda hard to write a novel on a dry-erase board, don't you think?_

_Ryan..._Beckett smiled as she watched Ryan and Esposito enter the bullpen.

_Where'd Castle go? You'd think he'd be all over this, _asked Ryan.

_I dropped him off at the loft,_ Beckett replied, _I think he was scared the forensics guys would have talked about this morning and people would be 'falling at his feet' all over the station. Besides, his nose is buried so deep in that book he wouldn't be of much use to us here anyway._

Ryan asked, _What was the book about?_

_It's the diary of his ancient counterpart, _Beckett replied.

Ryan was so surprised it knocked him out of the mental conversation. "Really? Wow."

"Yeah, Castle wants some time to go through it, see what, if any, answers it might hold. Meanwhile I get to put our extensive amount of information on Sonam Kundun up on the murder board."

"Well, this might help," chimed in Esposito as he hung up the phone. "Choden Dohna is on her way up to talk to us."

Beckett's face paled. "Guys," she whispered, "When we talked to her last we were working through Castle's translation spell. How the hell are we supposed to tell her that we're suddenly no longer fluent in Tibetan?"

"I can translate!" Beckett turned to see the spirit of their victim Sonam Kundun had joined their conversation. "I used to do it for Mom and Grandpa Tenzin all the time."

"That's just going to have to work, I guess," Beckett relented.

Ryan and Esposito looked to each other, then to the empty spot Beckett was looking at, totally confused. "What's going to work?" asked Ryan.

"Our victim has offered to translate," replied Beckett.

Ryan's eyes widened as he remembered that part of the history of the Lièrén. _He's here?_

_Yeah, _replied Beckett, slightly confused, _you mean you guys can't see him?_

Ryan shook his head. _Only when we're talking like this._

"Okay," Beckett was trying to make the best of a bad situation. She leaned in for another whisper of her orders. "Ryan, I need you with me on this one. Take the lead-as far as she knows, *you* don't speak Tibetan, and Sonam and I can work as your 'translator'. God, I hope this works..."

* * *

Choden Dohna seemed clearly intimidated by her surroundings, and was already frustrated by having to fight through so much bureaucracy in an unfamiliar language. Ryan hoped to help make her as comfortable as they could by 'turning on the charm'. "Thank you for coming, Ms. Dohna." He paused as Beckett (hopefully) translated his statement. When he saw no confusion on Choden's face, he slowly continued, "My name is Detective Kevin Ryan. Do you remember meeting me earlier?"

"Yes," replied Choden in heavily accented English. "I remember."

"My partner Detective Beckett has generously agreed to translate for us, if that's all right with you." Choden nodded again, so Ryan began, "Did your son have any enemies, Ms. Dohna?"

"I do not know, detective," Choden replied, continuing to try to speak in broken English. Her voice trailing off wistfully, she continued, "I did not see my son much past few years."

"Oh mommy..." Sonam cried, his voice breaking, "I'm so sorry..."

"Did you know any of his friends?" asked Ryan.

Choden shook her head sadly. "No, detective. I sorry." She pushed a cell phone across the table to Ryan. "This my son's phone. Friends' phone numbers on it."

"Thank you," said Ryan. "This will be a great help to us." Choden nodded. "What did your son do for a living, Ms. Dohna?"

"He worked at...McDonald's, I think."

"That was six months ago," commented Sonam.

Choden commented, in flawless English, "That Yak's bottom couldn't keep a job for more than a couple of months."

Ryan and Beckett looked at each other, then back out at the bullpen...where Castle sat smiling at them from his observer's chair by Beckett's desk.

_Can you take it from here? _asked Ryan.

Beckett replied, _Sure...why?_

_I'm feeling the need to go out there and kick your boyfriend's ass, _Ryan replied.

Ryan then excused himself, allowing Beckett to continue the conversation freely. "It sounds like you and your son didn't get along well, Ms. Dohna."

"I didn't make it easy on her," Sonam commented.

"We didn't always get along, detective, but that doesn't mean I didn't love my son," Choden spat out bitterly.

"I never said you didn't," Beckett kept her voice calm and even, hoping to calm the woman back down.

Choden took a deep breath, then let it out slowly to steady her slowly fraying nerves. "Detective Beckett, my husband sacrificed his life to get me and my son into this country twenty years ago. Sonam was all I had left." She grabbed the detective's hands, covering them with her own to emphasize her desperation. "Please...find out who took my son from me."

Beckett slipped her hands out of Choden's grasp so she could take the other woman's hands into her own. "I promise you, Choden, we *will* find out who did this."

Choden looked into the detective's eyes, impressed with the passion and strength of conviction she found there. A single tear escaped to make its slow journey down the woman's cheek. "Thank you, detective. That's all I can ask."

Ryan returned to the entrance of the room to walk Choden out, allowing Beckett a moment to be alone with the spirit of Sonam Kundun. "You know what I saw when I was talking to your mother, Sonam?"

"What?" asked Sonam.

"I saw a mother who deeply loves her son...no matter how many times he has disappointed her." Sonam's spirit seemed to have trouble looking Beckett in the eye. Still, he hadn't disappeared, so Beckett decided to press on. "Now, whatever God or Gods or whatever gave me this ability put us together so you could have a second chance to do something with your life that would make your mother proud of you."

Sonam turned around, the look on his face earnest and repentant. "What do you need me to do?"

"Well," replied Beckett as she put the cell phone between them, "you can start by telling me who I should call first."


	4. Chapter 4

"Yeah Jake, thanks for the help." Esposito got off the phone and rubbed his temples, idly wishing his girlfriend was there to eliminate the throbbing pain in his head. He then forced himself to re-focus his energies on work and wheeled his chair over to Beckett and Castle's desk. "After Sonam told you which of his friends we should call, I had a hunch about the end of the list."

"A 'hunch'?" Castle said with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, a *hunch*, Castle. I still get those, y'know," Esposito snapped defensively. "And a couple of the names on the bottom of the list looked familiar. So I called my buddy Jake in the Gang unit."

"What'd you get?" asked Beckett.

Esposito grabbed his notes and announced to the group, "Our vic ran with the DPNL."

"DPNL?" asked Castle.

"'A low-level Asian gang looking to work their way up the food chain. Mostly responsible for a bunch of muggings and shakedowns so far. Our boy Sonam was pretty high up within the group-not that that's saying much."

Sonam was annoyed at how little the cops thought of his crew. "Hey-"

Beckett cut him off immediately. "No, *you* don't get to talk here. Not after trying to 'help' and leaving out this particular piece of information." She focused her attention back to her own people. "Split up the DPNL names between you and Ryan and call them *first*. If anyone who refuses to talk, you can go to them or they can be hauled into the box and talked to there. Your call."

"Got it," the two men replied in unison.

Castle watched his partner with concern. She didn't usually snap like that unless... "What can I do to help?"

Beckett looked at what was left of Sonam's contact list and sighed. Then she looked at her watch and realized that there was a very good reason why she was tired and hungry. Beckett looked over to her partner. "Did you find anything interesting in that journal?"

"Tons," replied Castle with an ear-splitting grin. He leaned in close to Beckett to tell her, "but I don't think this is a good conversation to have in the precinct. Can I take you to lunch, my dear Detective?"

The smile Beckett broke into was warm and genuine and melted Castle's heart. "Absolutely."

* * *

They had just settled in to their favorite table at a cafe close to the precinct when Beckett got right to 'business'. "So this journal..."

"Kate, it's fascinating. You know how you felt watching Jim Ellison work on the Schoenweiss case a couple of weeks ago?" Beckett nodded; she had thrown herself into learning more about what her senses could do almost from the minute Jim had left to go back to Cascade. Castle continued, "That's how I feel reading this journal. Jamyang and his group had grown up in the temple orphanage; they were all brothers. Anyway, they got selected for this program at like, 5 or 6 years old where they started training the kids to be cops."

Beckett tried to imagine what it would have been like to enter the Police Academy at 5 or 6 and shivered. "Why so early?"

"The gifts of the Guardians are kinda hereditary...ish. If I've got the history right, after the first Guardians, the gifts passed from one group of monks to another...until, evidently, us."

"That's why Tenzin was so shocked that Lanie and I were Guardians?"

Castle nodded. "When a Guardian dies, their gift passes to one of the other Guardians until the last one ends up with all five. Then when he dies...according to the journal, his spirit wanders the Earth until it finds a group worthy of taking up the mantle."

"So if you had a group of five trained and ready to go, you stood a better than average chance of keeping the Guardians in-house."

"Exactly. When there was only one Guardian, the next team would get picked and trained. And they would keep picking and training new teams until the last Guardian passed away and a full new group of five emerged."

Beckett asked, "Why would they need to train more than one?"

"Remember what Blair and Lanie told us?" replied Castle. "Guardians can end up living a *really* long time. The monks seemed to want to ensure that the Guardians who received 'the blessing' were in their early 20s to late 30s when it happened."

"So the Guardians were cops, huh?" Beckett commented. "You'd think a Buddhist monastery would be the last place that would need its own police force."

Castle shook his head. "Communities would often spring up around these monasteries, and those communities weren't always the most peaceful places. Listen to this..."

* * *

My brothers and I were on our sunrise patrol when a scream of pure grief echoed through the mountain pass. I grabbed Tsewang and focused on the source of the scream, arriving just outside of the widower Lobsang and his daughter Norbu. It was Lobsang who had screamed; he had awakened to find the lifeless body of his Norbu stripped bare and flung carelessly across the entrance to his small cottage. Tsewang immediately went to work as my brothers caught up to us.

Yet, after but a moment, Tsewang could only inform Lobsang of the awful truth: that his beloved Norbu had begun her journey. Lobsang was devastated. Ngawang asked Lobsang if Norbu had done anything to shame the family name...for which the consequences would mean this kind of a death. Lobsang flew into a rage; I had to quickly create a shield between them in order to keep them from possibly killing each other. But it was Wangchuk who saved both of them. The Lièrén found three tiny holes on the back of Norbu's left hand, which Tsewang agreed meant that Norbu's chi was poisoned. She may have been beaten first, but the chi poisoning is what killed her. Now it is up to us to find the evil one who has the power to do this.

* * *

Beckett knew that look; it was almost as if she could picture the lightbulb going off over Castle's head. "You think Sonam was killed by someone who thought the kid had dishonored him?"

"It makes sense," Castle replied. "Seppuku is based in the idea that you had brought shame to yourself and to your family and didn't deserve to live, so you killed yourself to save your family the trouble. What if it was some bigoted jerk who just thought all Asian cultures were the same and when they killed the kid-"

"they decided to make it look like a suicide," finished Beckett. "So are you thinking jealous rival, possessive girlfriend, gang rival, what?"

Castle replied, "I'm not sure yet, but I have a feeling those phone calls will narrow it down. We should get back to the precinct."

* * *

Ryan looked to his partner with growing concern. "You sure you're ok, Javi? You don't look so great."

"For the last time, Kevin, I'm *fine*," insisted Esposito even as he rubbed the bridge of his nose for what must have been the fifth time.

When the vast majority of the members of the DPNL refused to talk to the two detectives over the phone, Ryan and Esposito decided to take their questions to the gang members themselves. The first five members of the gang were nice enough kids, but they were also the newest recruits to the gang and not particularly well acquainted with the goings-on of the DPNL second-in-command.

Which is what led the two men to climb a very familiar staircase to interview DPML member #6: the leader of the gang and Sonam's reported best friend, Tseten Yonten...who also happened to be Sonam's next door neighbor.

They got to the top of the stairs when Esposito stopped, sweat pouring from his temples and holding on to the railing like a lifeline. _Like hell you're fine, _Ryan projected.

The projection of Ryan's voice into Esposito's mind sent the detective reeling. Esposito collapsed, curling up into a fetal position in a desperate but futile attempt to get away from the pain. Ryan pulled out his phone to call 911, but then hesitated as he realized that Esposito was grabbing his *head* in pain. He took a deep breath to gather his focus, then opened his mind to his partner's.

Ryan closed the connection quickly, reflexively scrambling back away from Esposito before the overwhelming assault of thoughts, sights, sounds, images and memories sent *him* off the deep end.

_What the hell do I do now? _thought Ryan. He couldn't call 911; they'd lock his partner up in a padded room and throw away the key. But how could he help Esposito without ending up just *like* him?

A man's wrinkled hand squeezed his shoulder. Ryan tilted his head up to see Tenzin standing over him with a look of compassion. He started to ask the old man for help, the stopped himself as he remembered that Tenzin didn't speak English. Ryan's heart sank as he realized the one person who could help him in this situation couldn't help him.

Which made it all the more confusing when Tenzin knelt down to Ryan's level, took Ryan's hand in his own, and pointed to Esposito. "I...I don't understand," Ryan stammered.

Tenzin persisted, pointing to their clasped-together hands, and then to Esposito's head. Ryan's eyes widened as he started to understand what Tenzin was telling him to do. He pointed to Tenzin, "You-" He then pointed back to himself. "want to go with *me*-" Finally, he pointed to his partner. "into Esposito's head?"

The old man nodded excitedly. Ryan watched his partner nervously. Tenzin seemed convinced that they could help him if they worked together. He, however, was unconvinced that this whole thing wasn't going to send them both down the rabbit hole along with his partner.

Ryan finally sighed as he realized he simply could not come up with a better idea. Taking another deep breath, he grabbed Tenzin's hand, connected with the old man's mind, then grabbed the hand of his partner.


	5. Chapter 5

**Of course I wasn't going to leave Esposito lying there in pain like that! I may be mean (sometimes), but I'm not that mean. Well, maybe to you guys for writing cliffhanger endings like that...hehehe...**

Ryan shook off his disorientation as his eyes focused on his new surroundings. He was in a white room full of rows upon rows of shelving units and knee-deep piles of...stuff. None of it was anything he could specifically recognize, just...stuff.

"This is quite a mess," commented a barely familiar voice next to him.

He turned to see Tenzin at his side. "Tenzin? How are you speaking English?"

"The brain does not require language, young Mùshī," Tenzin replied matter-of-factly. "Language is only required when there is no other common method of communication. However, you communicate mind-to-mind, Master Mùshī, and your mind is the filter through which the other minds' thoughts will go."

"So because my mind communicates in English-" mused Ryan,

"You can hear all mind-to-mind communication in English...if that is your wish," Tenzin said with a smile and a wink.

"Whoa-what is with this disaster area?"

Ryan turned around to see Esposito walk up from behind them. "Uh...Javi, do you know where we are?"

"Not a clue. You?"

Ryan turned to Tenzin with a knowing smile. "Can I say it? Please?"

Tenzin nodded, "As you wish, Master Mùshī."

Ryan escorted his partner until Esposito was standing between Ryan and the old man. Putting an arm around Esposito's shoulder, Ryan then declared, "Javi, *this* is your brain."

Esposito found himself blushing. "Uh...it's not supposed to be this big a mess, is it?"

As Ryan shook his head, Tenzin took over. "No, young Xiānzhī, it should not be this much of a mess. Each one of those cards represents a memory from someone whose life you have viewed. This is what happens when you collect the memories of several lifetimes without organizing them. Now the last Xiānzhī described to me the system that he used to keep up with the memories he acquired. I can teach you how he did it, if that is your wish."

"Do I have a choice?"

"You can lie on the floor outside Tenzin's apartment until you die of an aneurysm if you'd like," Ryan replied.

Esposito rolled his eyes at Ryan, then turned his attention to Tenzin. "Just tell me what I need to do."

"Think about someone whose memories you've seen." Esposito nodded, so Tenzin pointed to the mess. "Picture one of their memories." Pieces rose up instantly from the mess. "Will those pieces together." The pieces coalesced into a pile. "Put them on the shelf." The pile floated to a location on the shelf. "Repeat until this place is cleaned up."

* * *

Ryan returned to the real world gently, as if waking from a split-second nap. He recognized immediately what they had been doing and disengaged his hands from both Tenzin and his partner. Ryan noticed immediately how the tension in Esposito's face was already starting to abate. He then tested a connection to the old man. _Tenzin?_

The old man smiled in approval at the connection as he forced himself to a standing position. _The Xiānzhī will be out for a while, if the mess we saw in his mind was any indication. Can you get him to my apartment?_

Ryan attempted to hoist his partner up to a seated position, pleasantly surprised to find that not all of Esposito's mind was focused on the massive cleanup effort. Muscles seemed to work from their own memories as Ryan helped his friend to a seated position, then a squat, then finally to standing up and shuffling to Tenzin's apartment.

Tenzin went to his kitchen as Ryan helped Esposito to a seat on the couch. _Would you like a cup of tea, Master Mùshī?_

_Yes, _nodded Ryan, _thank you. _He crossed the living room to take a steaming mug of tea from the old man's hands. Ryan took note of the unusual flavor of the tea. _Is this that tea recipe the Yīzhì gave you?_

Tenzin nodded. _ Yes, Master Mùshī. I have had it at least once a day since he gave me the recipe. It's one of the few medicines he ever gave me that I actually enjoy the taste of._

_Some things never change, _Ryan replied with a chuckle as he took another sip. He then realized that the old man had called the tea *medicine*.

Tenzin noticed the increase in the younger man's tension. _It's simply a longevity tea, Master Mùshī. I serve it to all my guests._

Ryan relaxed. _Thank you, Tenzin._

_I am honored to serve the Guardians, _Tenzin replied with a shrug.

_How long *have* you served the Guardians, Tenzin?_ asked Ryan.

Tenzin prepared to answer the question when Esposito cut their conversation off with a groan. Ryan set down the tea and crossed back to his partner's side. His own voice was loud in his ear after the largely mental conversation with the old man. "Javi? How are you feeling?"

"Like I moved all my stuff across town on my back," replied Esposito.

"How's your head?"

It took Esposito a moment to realize that his head was the only thing that *wasn't* hurting. "Better...thanks, bro."

_Would you be ready for a test, Master Xiānzhī? _Tenzin asked in Ryan's mind.

_He can't hear you, you know, _replied Ryan.

Tenzin seemed almost insulted. _And why is that, young Mùshī?_

Ryan sighed, slightly annoyed to be in a position where someone knew so much more about his abilities than he did. He connected with Esposito's mind and hoped that that was what Tenzin was looking for.

Tenzin tested the connection. _Master Xiānzhī?_

Javier blinked at the new voice in his head as Ryan sighed again...this time, with relief. _Tenzin? _asked Esposito.

_Yes. _The old man's mind-voice was tinged with relief, approval and just the slightest edge of frustration. _Yes, Master Xiānzhī, I can hear you now._

_How-?_

_Apparently Master Mùshī did not realize that he has the ability to be the go-between for multiple minds in conversation if he so chooses? _

Ryan shook his head, and Tenzin sighed. _Ah, I suppose the Firsts had similar problems. No matter..._ _Master Xiānzhī, I take it you are feeling better?_

_Yes, Tenzin, thank you, _replied Esposito.

_Do you understand what you were doing? _asked Tenzin.

Javier nodded immediately, then frowned as he tried to replay the process in his mind. _Kinda-?_

_What questions do you have, young Xiānzhī?_

Esposito began, _Do I have to do that every time I shake someone's hand?_

_No, _Tenzin replied with a shake of his head. _Although the practice is very helpful, and can be done quickly once you've mastered it._

_I'm not even sure I can do it again on my own, _Esposito frowned.

_All I gave you was the initial mental image and instructions, _Tenzin insisted, _the rest of it you did under your own power. But if you feel you need assistance, your brother Mùshī can aide you. For now, though, you should try the practice every time your head starts to hurt._

Esposito's eyes widened. _*That's* why I've been getting so many headaches? _

Tenzin nodded. _Those headaches are your mind's way of warning you that you are taking in too many memories without storing them properly. If you wait too long to organize...well, you experienced the result._

_Yeah, _agreed Esposito, _I'd rather not go through that again._

_There is a way for you to practice, now that you understand how to do so, _said Tenzin.

_How?_

Tenzin asked in response, _When you shook my hand the other day, what did you see?_

_Nothing, _Esposito replied, _first time that's happened, actually. _

_That was your body's defense against overload, _Tenzin instructed him cryptically. _Would you like to try again?_

_Sure, _Esposito shrugged. He reached out his hand to Tenzin, who briefly stopped him.

_Master Mùshī, _Tenzin instructed, _you will need to provide assistance to your brother, so please keep this connection open._

Ryan was about to ask how he could provide assistance when Esposito shook Tenzin's hand. The kaleidoscope of images that assaulted their joined minds nearly drove both of them insane. Ryan felt his partner trying to keep the images together as they came in, so he tried to mimic the mental command, using the power of his own mind to assist. As he supported Esposito, Ryan noticed that the images sped by faster, but with less pain and more clarity, so he continued to lend aid to what he thought his partner was doing.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the three men broke the connection, all of them gasping for air. Tenzin pulled himself up with great effort and stumbled to the kitchen to pour tea for everyone.

Esposito looked at the old man with a newfound sense of awe. "How old are you, old man?"

Ryan looked at Esposito, completely confused. "I'm sorry, what did you just say?"

Esposito now looked in confusion to his partner. "I just asked Tenzin how old he was."

"That's not what you said, Javi."

Ryan was gearing up to argue with Esposito when Tenzin signaled that he wanted to have a mental conversation with him. When Ryan opened the two-way connection, Tenzin informed him, _Master Mùshī, now that your brother can properly store the memories he's acquired, he can access those memories as if he'd lived them. Which means he is now fluent in my language as well._

Tenzin took a sip of his tea before serving cups to Ryan and Esposito. In flawless Tibetan, Esposito then repeated his question. "So how old are you?"

Tenzin flopped into a nearby chair as he replied, "Master Xiānzhī, I am much older than I look."

**So I hope that was worth the cliffhanger stress. :-) We'll get back to the case next chapter!**


	6. Chapter 6

Ryan and Esposito left Tenzin's apartment fifteen minutes later with their own counterparts' journals tucked into their respective coat pockets. As Tenzin closed the door to his apartment, the two detectives heard the sound of a door opening at the other end of the hall. They looked up to see a young Tibetan man facing that now half-open door. Ryan decided to try his luck. "Tseten Yonten?"

Tseten apparently saw the two men coming for him and played a hunch of his own. He took off at a sprint through the apartment. Ryan yelled, "NYPD! FREEZE!" as Esposito chased their target. Tseten was two flights down the fire escape when Esposito caught up to the bedroom window...with Ryan right on his partner's heels. Tseten was one more flight down by the time Esposito crawled through the window. The kid was sure the detective couldn't possibly catch up to him before he made it to ground level and got away...

The kid was mistaken. Tseten watched in shock as Esposito cleanly landed a six-story jump to beat him to ground level. He backed up, hoping to be able to turn around and get back into the building the way he left it...only to be disappointed by Ryan's smiling face staring down at him. His shoulders slumped, Tseten took the two flights of steps down to Esposito, hoping to play the last card he thought he had.

As the kid finally made it to ground level, Esposito spoke up. "Tseten Yonten? We need to ask you some questions about the murder of Sonam Kundun."

Tseten looked at him quizzically. "Sorry, I no speak English."

It was then that Tseten discovered that his luck had run out. Not only had Ryan landed a four-story jump from the fire escape to block his only other option to run, but in response to his comment, Esposito replied in flawless Tibetan, "That's not a problem, Tseten. I'm sure that between the two of us, we don't have to use any English at all."

Tseten's eyes widened in shock as the obviously Hispanic cop spoke to him fluently in his native language. That shock knocked Tseten completely out of his lame attempt at deception. Switching back to English, he asked Esposito, "Dude, where the hell did you learn to speak Tibetan like that?"

Esposito simply shrugged as he finished securing the handcuffs behind Tseten's back. "You'd be surprised what you can learn with Rosetta Stone."

* * *

Castle and Beckett watched from the observation room as Tseten Yonten sat nervously in the box. As Ryan and Esposito took their seats across from the frightened young man, Ryan recalled what happened with his partner and Tenzin at the apartment building and decided to try an experiment. He reached into all three of his fellow Guardians' minds at the same time and found the connections to be surprisingly easy to make. _Guys?_

_Yeah? _Beckett and Castle looked at each other, then through the window to the box with surprise as they all heard each other's mind voices in their heads. _Ryan? _asked Beckett.

Ryan, for his part, had to resist the urge to smile. _New trick Esposito and I learned earlier today. Everyone can now hear each other and talk to each other through the mind-link as long as I leave it open. So Beckett, Castle...if either of you has a question for Mr. Yonten, feel free to speak up._

_Got it, _Beckett and Castle responded almost in unison, which forced Ryan to fight back another smile as he turned his attention to their suspect. "Do you know why you're here, Mr. Yonten?"

Tseten continued to shift nervously in his chair. "You said you wanted to ask me some questions about Sonam Kundun."

Esposito nodded. "You were friends with Mr. Kundun, correct?" Tseten nodded.

"You brought T in?" Beckett heard Sonam's spirit exclaim behind her. "No way! He didn't have anything to do with this, no way!"

Beckett shushed the frustrated spirit so she could continue to hear Ryan and Esposito keep up the questioning. Ryan asked, "We have found out that you and Mr. Kundun were the leaders of the DPNL; is that correct Mr. Yonten?" Tseten nodded again, so Ryan decided to try to push the kid's buttons. "So is that why you killed him, Mr. Yonten? Did he threaten your position of power within the gang?"

Tseten and Sonam were matching expressions of rage. "Absolutely not," spat out Tseten. "He was my *best* *friend*! We were like brothers! No way I'd ever kill him...I'd rather die first."

Sonam was equally furious. "This is my *brother*, Lièrén. If he had anything to do with my death I'll leave and never come back. If I dissed T so bad that it pushed him to off me, then I deserved to die. No way he did this."

Ryan poured peace into the room until Tseten's anger started to fade. _Dude, _commented Esposito with a mental chuckle, _you've become your own good cop-bad cop..._

"Did anyone else hold a grudge against Sonam, then? Someone in the gang who might have wanted to prove they should be number one?"

Tseten shook his head. "No way. We're *all* family."

Beckett watched Tseten and Sonam carefully, impressed with their loyalty to each other. Her senses were telling her that Tseten was being completely honest and earnest in his convictions about his best friend. _Esposito, _Beckett suggested through the link, _ask Tseten if Sonam had a girlfriend._

"Was Mr. Kundun involved In a relationship with anyone, Mr. Yonten?" asked Esposito.

Tseten's suddenly racing heartbeat told Beckett they were on to something. "What do you mean?" asked Tseten, trying futilely to act calm.

"Did he have a girlfriend?" asked Ryan.

Beckett noticed that Sonam's spirit had disappeared and Tseten's face had paled considerably. "There was this girl, I think her name was Nazia...he was nuts about her."

Ryan noticed Tseten's hesitation to bring up this particular piece of information. "I'm guessing there were a few problems with their relationship?"

"There was one big problem with their relationship," replied Tseten. "She had a boyfriend. And Sonam wasn't it."

* * *

"Thank you, Choden. I will keep you posted." As Beckett hung up the phone, Castle removed the translation spell. "Apparently, neither she nor Tenzin had ever heard of anyone named Nazia."

"But we have a photo of the girl, right?" asked Castle.

Beckett nodded. "I just got the photo from Tseten."

"Tomorrow Ryan and Esposito will go canvas the neighborhood, looking for the girl?" As Beckett nodded again, Castle continued, "so we're done for the night?"

"Yep," agreed Beckett. She grabbed her coat and started getting ready to leave. "I'll see you later, Castle."

Castle was confused. "Wait-where are you going?"

Beckett tried to be as casual as she could, but she knew that Castle would get the hint immediately. "I'm taking my dad out to dinner tonight. It's been forever since we've talked."

Castle had to resist the painfully strong urge to break their one cardinal rule of not showing their relationship off at work. Instead, he kept things as cool and casual as he could, trying to let his smile speak the volumes he couldn't allow his words to say. "Okay. Then I'll see you *later*."

* * *

Jim Beckett studied his daughter carefully from the moment he walked into the diner where they had agreed to have dinner. _She looks...at peace. _For the first time since Joanna's death, Jim realized, there was an aura of peace around his little girl. Like she was finally where she wanted to be in her life. He had a feeling he knew where that peace was coming from..._no, no, better to hear *her* say it._

Kate watched as her father crossed from the front of the diner to where she was seated near the back. Once he got close enough, she got up from the table and embraced him. "It's so good to see you, Katie," Jim said as they hugged, "It's been too long."

"Yeah," Kate agreed. "It has." She sat back down as he took his spot opposite her.

Jim started the conversation as they looked over the menus. "So...how's work?"

"Good," Kate replies casually, trying to distract herself with thoughts of food. "Gates isn't breathing down our necks so much lately, which is always a nice bonus."

Jim let out a small chuckle at that. "Yeah. Bosses are bosses, no matter where you are, I think. And life is always a little easier when your boss trusts you enough to cut you some slack."

"True," Kate agreed.

The waitress came over and took their orders, then they replaced the menus behind the napkin holder. Kate curled her fingers around her coffee cup, surprised at how awkward beginning this conversation was starting to feel. "Dad, I-"

"Yeah, Katie? What is it?" Jim was starting to worry a little about the anxious expression on his daughter's face. _Did she find out something else about Joanna's case? Something she's afraid to tell me? Something that will keep me up nights worrying about her...again?_

"Dad, I-I'm involved with someone."

Jim smiled, almost in spite of himself. The way Kate worded the announcement only lent more credence to his suspicions. "You're dating someone?"

"Yes," Kate replied.

"And since you didn't say you had *met* someone, then we're talking about someone I've either met, or someone that you've told me about before, am I right?"

The twinkle in her father's eye told Kate that if her father worked at the precinct, he might have tried his hand at running the 'When will they finally hook up' pool. Kate replied, "And I'm guessing by that silly look on your face that it won't surprise you at all to find out it's Castle I was talking about, now, will it?"

"Actually," Jim admitted, "the only thing that surprises me about it is how long it took you two to finally get over yourselves and admit that you're crazy about each other."

"Dad!" Kate was surprised to find herself blushing.

The elder Beckett thought he couldn't wipe the ear-splitting grin off his face even if someone paid him to. "Sweetheart, I know the way you are when you talk about him. And I've seen the look on his face when he talks about you. Now, I don't know much about Rick Castle beyond what you've told me over the years, but I know your face does not light up like that when you talk about anybody else. So, tell me, when did this all finally happen?"

The waitress set their meals in front of them as Kate replied, "A little after the last time we talked, Dad. I...I realized that I couldn't live my life just to solve mom's murder anymore. That I might completely miss out on my own life if I did. And once I figured that out, well...I think by that point I already knew I wanted to share my life with Castle, and it just gave me the push I needed to make sure he knew that, too."

Jim suspected that there was more to that part of the story, but knew better than to push...lest he find out something that would end up keeping him awake nights after all. The rest of dinner was spent mostly eating, with Jim prying small details out of his daughter that he hadn't been able to find out about before: how she told Lanie, how her closest friends at work found out, and what Kate's relationship was now like with Castle's daughter Alexis...the girl, Jim quickly realized, who would probably become his step-granddaughter sooner rather than later.

The two haggled over who would pay the check, as always, and as Jim finally 'relented' and let his daughter pick up the tab, he did a different set of calculations in his head. "Katie, you know, from what you've told me, you and Castle have been dating now for almost six months."

"Yeah, Dad, you're right...I...I didn't even think about it..." Kate's mind went spinning a little as she realized, between the suspension and the reinstatement (not to mention her and her friends becoming Guardians), how fast the time had flown by.

Jim stared down his daughter with an expression of completely mock 'seriousness'. "Do I need to have a talk with your young man about what his intentions are?"

Kate smiled as her father tagged his last comment with a wink and an affectionate grin. "No, Dad, I can handle Castle just fine. Been doing that for four and a half years already, remember? Oh, but that reminds me...Castle wants to do a big family Thanksgiving at the loft, and we want you to be there."

Jim moved to embrace his daughter as he told her, "Wouldn't miss it for the world, honey."

It was as he pulled out of the embrace that he noticed it. Something else about Kate that was...different. It had nothing to do with Castle, but he just...he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Kate noticed her father tense up ever so slightly as he pulled away from her. "Dad? What is it?"

"Katie, honey, is there anything else going on?"

Kate was starting to be glad she was the one with the super-hearing as her heart started to pound in her chest. She tried to remain as cool as possible as she replied, "No, Dad. Why?"

"I just...I mean, there's something different about you. I thought it was Castle when I first saw you, but now..." Jim finally blew it off with a shrug as he continued, "There's a reason why they don't call it father's intuition, I guess. Good night, honey."

"'Night, dad." It was only after Kate Beckett got back in her car (and her dad was out of sight) that she felt like she could breathe again.


	7. Chapter 7

Castle opened the door to the loft, grateful to find that it was empty for the evening. Not because of Beckett's absence; when Kate wasn't around, Castle had discovered early in their relationship, there was always a nagging ache in the back of his mind and heart that didn't go away until she returned. But he was a grown man and she was a mature, responsible woman who had her own business to attend to sometimes, and Castle gave her that space freely.

No, his relief was rooted far more deeply in the fact that his mother was apparently, thankfully, out for the evening. Castle opened the door to the fridge with a wave of his hand, floating a cold beer to the counter before closing the door. He popped the cap off the bottle with a flip of his hand, then sent the bottle sliding across the counter in an imitation of his favorite bar gesture. The wizard caught the bottle when it reached the end of the counter but long before it could have had a possibility of ending up on the floor. _Can't do that when mother's here, _he thought idly.

His mind wandered to what Alexis had told him when they opened the Guardian training center for the first time. He had thought of the place simply as their own version of the Batcave: a place to practice, to learn more about their crazy new abilities and to hang out with everyone else as they did the same. But that's not what she called it. Alexis called that big empty warehouse his *home*. And, truth be told, that big empty warehouse was starting to *feel* more like home than the loft was nowadays. Home should be a place where you can go at the end of the day to kick back, relax and just be yourself for a while, instead of whatever face you had to put on for the world. The training center, for him, had become that place.

The loft had become a place where he mostly had to worry about getting caught using superpowers by his mother.

A knock on the door shook Castle out of his idlings. He opened the door to find Ryan waiting for him. "Hey Ryan!" Castle greeted his friend. "Come on in! Want a beer?"

"Sure," Ryan agreed. Instantly a opened, cold longneck bottle appeared in his hand. He took a drink, enjoying the taste and the light burn as the swallow traveled down his throat, then lightly teased his friend, "Home alone for the evening, huh?"

"Yeah," Castle replied as he walked with his friend to the living room, "how'd you guess?"

Ryan replied as he sat down, "Alexis is still at the Columbia dorms for a couple of weeks, and I heard Beckett tell you she was having dinner with her dad." He then pointed to his beer as he continued, "plus, you would never have tried to pull a trick like that if your mother was home."

"Guilty as charged," Castle admitted with a wink, a smile and a long draw off his own bottle.

"You ever think of telling her?" Ryan asked with a wave of his hand, "about all this?"

Castle peeled off pieces of the label of his bottle as he thought. "I'm more tempted to just ask her to get her own place...I don't know. Part of me loved having her here for the longest time, and I wouldn't have traded the time she and Alexis had together for anything in the world. But now..."

"She's starting to be in the way," Ryan completed the thought.

Castle nodded. "And not just when it comes to the Guardians, or the whole wizard thing. I..Kevin, I'm thinking about asking Kate to move in with me."

"You mean she wasn't living here already?" Ryan teased with a smirk. "Just kidding, man. Congrats."

"Thanks," Castle returned, "but that's a big part of the problem. How can I ask the woman I love to move into the apartment where I live with my mother?" He shook off his own problems to focus on his friend. "But enough about me. I'm guessing you didn't just come over for a beer. What's up?"

Ryan pulled the small book he got from Tenzin out of his coat pocket and tossed it to Castle. As Castle flipped through it, Ryan explained, "Beckett told us about the journal Tenzin gave you. That's my counterpart's equivalent, I think. I was hoping you could translate it for me."

"You went back to their apartment?" Castle asked, surprised. "When?"

"Tseten Yonten is our vic's next door neighbor."

"So you were just in the neighborhood...?"

"Not exactly. Esposito collapsed in between the two apartments."

Castle was surprised. "What happened? He seemed fine when you guys got back to the precinct."

"He was, by that point. Turns out Esposito has his own 'maintenance system' he has to use with his powers to keep his brain from exploding. Tenzin taught it to him after he collapsed. Castle, it saved his life, I'm sure of it."

"Wow," Castle exclaimed. _Seems like every day has one crazy new surprise after another..._"That's how you learned that thing you did in the box today, isn't it? It was how you communicated with Tenzin."

Ryan replied, "More like how Javi communicated with Tenzin...at least until they shook hands."

"What happened when they shook hands?"

"Esposito learned Tibetan. Fluently. Side bonus of keeping all those memories better organized is better access to them. When we left Tenzin gave us each his copy of our counterpart's journals. Javi can read his just fine, obviously. Me, not so much."

"You could have asked Esposito to translate this."

Ryan agreed, "I could have. But I was hoping that coming here would be faster. It's hard enough to get Esposito to do paperwork. A translation job this big? Yeah, I'd see it sometime next year if I'm lucky."

Castle chucked, understanding immediately. "Yeah, you're probably right. It's been a while, though, since I've had to try a spell that needed to work when I wasn't there. Give me a minute to think it through..." The wizard flipped through the book one more time before he closed it, then closed his eyes to focus on his goal.

Ryan opened his mind to Castle's, trying to project his energy to support and focus the spell if Castle needed it. Ryan felt Castle use that focus as he finished the spell. Castle handed him back the book, and Ryan flipped through the pages, pleased to now see them clearly in English. "Thanks, Castle," Ryan offered with a smile.

"Don't thank me until you get that book home tonight and can read it *there*," Castle responded. He found himself hesitating, unsure how to word what he wanted to say next. "Ryan, when I was casting that spell, was that you I felt in my head?"

Ryan nodded as he finished the last of his beer. "Another lesson from this afternoon-apparently I'm the Guardians' universal backup."

"Well, it helped, so...thanks," insisted Castle.

Ryan checked his watch, then stood up. "I should probably get back home. It's getting late." He put the book in his pocket and headed to the door. "Thanks again for your help with the book, Castle."

Castle walked his friend to the door. "No problem. And don't hesitate to let us know if Esposito has a problem when you guys go canvassing tomorrow."

"Problem with what?"

Ryan turned to find that he was walking out just as Beckett was walking in. "Castle, will you explain it to her? I'd really like to get home."

"No problem," Castle agreed, "see you tomorrow." He closed the door behind Ryan as he left, and turned around to his slightly confused girlfriend.

Kate stared Castle down, hands on her hips, ready to interrogate her boyfriend thoroughly if necessary. "Rick..." she warned, "What's going on with Esposito?"

Rick thought about how Esposito had been in the precinct and knew that his friend was going to be just fine. And he also knew that he was *not* going to be fine if he let Kate just stand there for much longer. Rick swept his girlfriend into his arms with a long, lingering kiss, followed by kissing and nibbling her neck, ears, hands...anywhere he found exposed skin. His voice rumbled with his need for her. "I'll tell you anything you need to know, Kate...tomorrow."

Kate was having a hard time focusing on anything but the feel of Castle's lips on her skin and the feel of his breath causing the most glorious shivers to run down her spine. "You promise?" Kate asked breathlessly while she could still form a coherent thought.

Rick left one word on his lips as he claimed her mouth with his own: the word that had come to express their love, trust, and devotion to each other every time they said it...

"Always."

* * *

"Lanie?"

"Yeah, babe?"

Javier heard his girlfriend puttering around in the kitchen, and the smells of frying, meat and potatoes were inspiring his stomach to rumble so loudly he started to wonder if Beckett could hear it across town. He worked his way into the kitchen and snuck up behind Lanie to plant a few kisses behind her ear. "Hey there," he whispered.

Lanie jerked her head back in an involuntary reaction to the shiver that ran down her spine. "Boy!" She yelled in protest, "It is soooooo not a smart move to sneak up on a woman who's working with hot oil and hot cast iron!"

"True," teased Javi, "but den you can just kiss da boo-boos and make dem all go 'way..."

Lanie rolled her eyes. "Yeah, but if you piss me off enough I just might make you wait a while before I do that."

Javier knew better than to respond; he simply kissed his woman on the cheek as he snuck a french fry from the crispy, steaming batch sitting on the countertop.

The burgers had finished cooking, so Lanie turned off all the burners on the stove and moved their plates to the table. As she settled in to dress her burger, Lanie turned to her boyfriend and asked, "So, 'dear', how was your day?"

"I, uh...I found out why I've been getting all those headaches."

Lanie raised an eyebrow at that; she had been treating Javier's headaches for a couple of weeks. He had gotten to the point of needing to see her 2-3 times a day...not that she minded all the extra attention that came with that many visits, but Lanie was starting to wonder if she needed to make a neurologist appointment for him, powers or no. "Oh, really? What was it?"

Javier squirmed a little in his chair. He *hated* talking about this stuff; as much as he had been willing to accept the possibility of weird stuff in the world, he found it a hundred times harder to deal with the 'weird stuff' when the weird stuff centered around *him*. "Well...apparently I needed to 'organize' the thoughts in my head a little better."

"Really? That's it?"

"Pretty much. Sounds easier than it is, though-kinda like Beckett's controls."

"I don't doubt it; I'm just kind of surprised."

"There is a side benefit..."

Lanie felt curious and skeptical at the same time. "What?"

Javier had been looking forward to showing off for her ever since he came back at Tseten in fluent Tibetan. "Ask me any medical question you want."

Curiosity was starting to win the tug-of-war in Lanie's mind. "Any question?"

"Anything that you know the answer to."

"All right." Lanie decided to start with something simple. "What's my basic method for performing an autopsy?"

"Externals first; then you start with the brain and work from the top of the lungs down...so you don't forget anything."

"What are some of the controls of the parasympathetic nervous system?"

"Increase in digestion, relaxing of muscles, maintenance of low heart rate, shall I go on?"

"According to Coulomb's Law, how will the electrostatic force between two charges be affected if the distance between the charges is doubled?"

"Decrease by a factor of 4. Next!"

"What organelle would be most closely associated with exocytosis of newly synthesized secretory protein?"

"Golgi apparatus. C'mon, think of something *difficult*..."

"When I was in med school, I flunked my first gross anatomy cadaver test. Why?"

"You left an earring in the guy's large intestines."

"Wow..." Lanie was dumbfounded.

Javier was starting to bounce in his seat a little. "Lanie, it's *incredible*. When this first happened to us the whole process of this so-called 'gift' felt random. I could catch moments, but they were one-shot deals and I couldn't always process them well. But now, I can call up all these people's memories like I lived them and all these people's skills like I was the one who hit the books." He pulled the journal out of his pocket and set it on the table.

Lanie picked up the book and started flipping through it. While she was impressed with the beauty of the markings, it was in *Tibetan*. It might as well have been in Chinese. She looked at Javier with increasing skepticism. "Don't tell me-you can read that?"

Javier simply picked up the book and flipped open to a random page. "The blessing is not always easy. There is pain involved, and your days are often steeped in the suffering of others..." He closed the book and continued, "and I got that and a whole hell of a lot more just from shaking an old Tibetan man's hand this afternoon."

"And the only drawback to this is the occasional headache?"

Javier nodded, "If I keep on top of it and practice my 'filing' system, then yeah."

Lanie was getting increasingly annoyed at the way her boyfriend was dodging the issue of a downside. "But what happens if you slack off, 'cause I know you will..." Knowing she wasn't going to get a satisfactory answer out of him verbally, Lanie jumped up from her chair and slammed her hand down on the table, covering Esposito's hand with her own. The now familiar rush of images assaulted her mind, and she slowed them down, focusing on the area she knew she was looking for. Lanie pulled away quickly, her face colored with a face-reddening mix of fear and fury. "Javier Esposito, you son of a -"

"Babe, what is it?"

"Do you have any idea how close you came to *dying* today, Javier?"

That knocked the wind out of his 'moment'. "What?"

Lanie started to pace to work off the excess energy in her anger. "I figured one day of control couldn't knock out a month's worth of the damage that having no control could cause. You know what I found, Javi? A blood vessel in your brain that was *that* close to exploding and leaving you a vegetable *if* you were lucky. Whatever state you were in before you learned those controls, your brain wouldn't have lasted without them."

Javier corralled his girlfriend and pulled her into a supportive hug; partly because he knew she needed it and partly because *he* needed it. He had seen Castle pushed beyond his limits, Ryan and Beckett hanging on the ragged edge of sanity and Lanie sinking into zone-outs that could have killed her...*twice*. And all he had been doing was fooling around with flashes of other people's memories. Nothing all that dangerous.

Until now.  
_Congratulations, kid. Welcome to the Guardians._

He tried to diffuse the tension in the room with humor. "Guess this makes me a real part of the team, now, huh?"

Lanie pulled away just enough to punch him in the arm. "Stop it! I almost lost you today!"

"I know, baby, I know..." He pulled Lanie back into his embrace, chuckling as he heard her mutter a muffled "don't call me baby" into his chest.

Lanie pulled away from Javier's chest to look up into his eyes. "I wouldn't freak out like this if I didn't love you...you know that, right?"

Javier's breath caught in his throat; even with everything they'd been through, he was pretty sure that was the first time she'd ever told him she *loved* him. He smiled as he pushed the hair away from her face and wiped away the remnants of tears from her eyes. "I know. If I didn't love *you* I wouldn't put up with it."

The rest of their night was spent just like any other night: food, tv, joking, teasing, arguing...but every once in a while there was that little extra awareness of each other: that little extra kiss on the neck, that little extra slap or pinch when they were joking around...that extra time curled up in each others embrace when they would have sat or fallen asleep side-by-side. Because Lanie and Javier were starting to understand that even if they didn't know if they would have five days, five years or five centuries together, they had that night, and they had each other.

And sometimes, as they were starting to realize, that was enough.


	8. Chapter 8

Canvassing was an activity that senior detectives classified as a 'grunt' job. It was about as close to being back on foot patrol as anyone who made detective ever wanted to get: pick an area where your target is known to frequent, bring a recent picture and pray someone shows up who knows them. Which is why there wasn't a senior detective in the *world* who actually wanted to do the job. That's why there were senior detectives and there were junior detectives.

And at the 12th, that meant Detectives Kevin Ryan and Javier Esposito. The two detectives stood in the entrance to the small Pakistani produce market, feeling an almost reflexive level of apprehension at having to get information out of people in such a tight-knit community. _You're sure this is the place to start? _asked Ryan.

_T seems to think that this guy knows everyone in the neighborhood, _Esposito replied.

Ryan took the lead, approaching the grocer with an outstretched hand of greeting. "Ali Bangash? Detectives Ryan and Esposito, NYPD."

Ali shook both men's hands, so Esposito started asking the questions. He handed the picture to the grocer. "Sir, we're looking for this girl. Do you know her?"

The old grocer was surprised to hear the question asked of him in Urdu; it startled him enough that he replied to the question without any hesitation. "Oh, yes, she used to come in here every day. Lovely girl."

"Used to?" asked Esposito.

Ali nodded. "Yes, I haven't seen her in, oh, a couple of weeks, I believe." His eyes narrowed quickly with suspicion and concern. "Why are you looking for her? She's not in trouble, is she?"

"We don't know, sir," Esposito replied respectfully. "We do need to ask her some questions about a murder we are investigating."

"I see," commented Ali. "I wish I could help you more, but unfortunately I did not know the girl as anything more than a regular customer. I did notice that she was always carrying library books under her arm, though; perhaps the people at the library will be able to be of more help to you."

Esposito thanked the older man for his time, then turned to his partner. _Next stop, the library?_ asked Ryan.

_Yeah, _replied Esposito, surprised. _How'd you know?_

_You gotta think of what you're gonna say before you say it, _Ryan replied with a wink and a smile, _despite the occasional evidence to the contrary..._

* * *

Ryan couldn't help but notice the marked increase in tension when he and his partner walked into the library. As he scanned the room, he recognized the reason immediately: two non-Pakistani NYPD officers in a room full of what looked like mostly Pakistani teenagers kind of stuck out like a sore thumb. Ryan set his mind toward balancing out that tension with peace as he and his partner crossed the room to the reference desk and the only librarian within easy reach. Esposito took the lead when they noticed that the librarian was also Pakistani. "Excuse me, ma'am?" he asked in Urdu.

Without looking up from her paper, the obviously bored librarian replied, "the bathrooms are down the hall to your left..."

Esposito continued, "Detectives Esposito and Ryan, NYPD, ma'am. I was hoping you could help us identify someone..."

The librarian looked up from her paper and nearly jumped out of her chair when she saw the two detectives in front of her. "Oh! My apologies, detectives...I do speak English." the librarian replied with a crisp British accent, "Although your command of Urdu is quite impressive, detective. How may I help you?" Ryan handed the woman the picture. She gasped with surprise, recognizing the girl immediately. "Nazia..."

Ryan and Esposito looked to each other, sensing they might be making some progress and a quick end to their canvassing. "You know this girl?"

The librarian nodded. "Her name's Nazia Bhutani, she comes in here all the time." the librarian's breath seemed to catch in her throat as she asked, "Has something happened to her?"

"What makes you think something happened to her?" Ryan countered.

"Okay," the librarian sighed. "I'm sure you've noticed that this is a very closed, conservative Pakistani neighborhood?" As the two detectives nodded, "A lot of the kids who hang out here are just looking to get away from their parents for a while. They can tell their parents they were studying and no one's the wiser."

"And Nazia was one of those kids?" asked Esposito.

The librarian nodded. "She was seeing this guy Tariq Sanghoor...he's a nice enough kid, just not the guy her dad would have chosen for her. Anyway, she would come in with her girlfriends two, maybe three times a week, change clothes in the bathroom and leave with Tariq. A couple of hours later she would come back, change back into her school clothes and leave. But about two weeks ago, this stopped."

"Two weeks ago?" Ryan repeated.

The librarian nodded again. "Yes. Although come to think about it, Tariq hasn't been here in that time, either."

"Are any of the kids they hung out with here?" asked Esposito.

Ryan scanned the room as the librarian did, opening his mind as much as he dared to listen for a group that might be thinking about Nazia or Tariq. The librarian pointed out to Esposito the same group that Ryan had his eye on: two teenaged couples who were desperately trying to avoid eye contact with the detectives, but whose minds were in a furious panic of concern for their friends.

Esposito thanked the librarian, then followed his partner to the table where the teens were sitting. The four teens cracked open books, trying to look like they had been studying all along. Ryan took one of the teens' books and flipped it right side up, breaking that illusion immediately. "I've been told," he informed the group, "that you guys are friends of Nazia Bhutani and Tariq Sanghoor."

One of the teens, who had been reading a Pakistani newspaper, tried to evade the questions they all knew were coming. "Sorry," she tried, "no speak English?"

Esposito put his hands on the girl's shoulders as he leaned over the girl's newspaper with a smile. He replied to her question in Urdu, "That's okay, I don't have to speak English."

"Although," interrupted Ryan, "even I don't particularly buy that excuse since the rest of you are studying American textbooks. Now if you guys would like us to take you down to the precinct and have your parents meet you there..." The burst of panicked thoughts going through the four teens' minds told Ryan he had hit the desired nerve, so he continued, "or you can each tell us when is the last time you saw either Nazia Bhutani or Tariq Sanghoor."

The four kids exchanged glanced in an attempt to pick who would go first. Finally the girl with the newspaper lied, "I haven't seen them in a couple of weeks." Ryan, though, read what was going through her head. _Say *nothing*. If her dad ever found out..._

"Look," Ryan tried to be as persuasive as he could be, "what you guys do in your free time is your business. But we're here investigating the murder..."

Paper girl let out a small gasp. _No! God, no! Nazia..._

Ryan made a note of her thoughts as he completed his statement, "of a young man named Sonam Kundun." Taking note of everyone's thoughts, Ryan broached the topic carefully, "Now, if Nazia is in danger, we can protect her."

Another panicked burst of thoughts went through the four teens' minds, and Ryan had to stop himself from reacting to what he heard in his head as opposed to the silence that pervaded the table. He pressed on, "but we can't help her if we don't know where she is."

Their thoughts were only of their fear for their absent friends, but the four teens around the table said nothing. Frustrated, Ryan got up from the table and left the library, annoyed at having to keep up the terrible balancing act between knowing that they knew something and having to keep his 'blessing' a secret.

Esposito thanked the group for their time, then caught up to his partner outside the library. He asked his partner, "Why didn't you push them harder? You knew they knew something, didn't you?"

"I couldn't," Ryan replied with a mental sigh. "The girl with the newspaper is *terrified* of Nazia's father. And they all practically jumped out of their chairs twice...first when I said we were investigating a murder and then when I told them Kundun was our vic."

"But you couldn't push them on either of those things without them asking how we got that information..." continued Esposito.

"And if I said the wrong thing, they'd think we came because the dad had filed a police report about his missing daughter and we'd be passing all the information to him. Which would have shut them up for good."

Esposito broke his partner's tension when his mouth turned upward with a wicked grin. "Not a problem, bro. You see..."

It was then that he remembered how Esposito had put his hands on paper girl's shoulders at the beginning of the interview. Ryan chased his partner as they walked back to the car. "You got the address already, didn't you? You made me go through all that when you already got us the information we needed? Jeez, I'm starting to wonder why I even bother sometimes..."


	9. Chapter 9

Beckett pulled in around the corner from the address that Ryan and Esposito had given her. She scanned the area, listening for signs of anything unusual. Finding nothing, she got out of the car to find that her two junior detectives had pulled in behind her. "I checked with missing persons, like you guys suggested," Beckett informed them, "and they have no reports about any missing Pakistani girls."

Ryan and Esposito raised matching eyebrows in surprise at that. Ryan thought back to what he heard in the thoughts of the four scared teens at the library. He asked, "Do you think Nazia's dad might have been involved in her disappearance?"

"Or Sonam's murder," replied Esposito.

"or probably both," Castle chimed in.

Beckett carefully considered everything she heard from her team and from the area around her. "Okay, too many of us going in there is probably not the best idea. Ryan, Esposito, you guys see who's in there and try to find out what the hell kind of connection all of this has to our victim...if there even is any. I'll listen from out here and Castle and I will pull lookout duty just in case daddy dearest shows up. Any questions?" The three men shook their heads, so Beckett dismissed the other team.

Ryan and Esposito turned the corner and approached the address that Esposito had acquired from the teens. Ryan a one look at the abandoned building that stood in front of them and, just for a second, started to doubt his partner's ability. _Javi, are you sure this is the place?_

_This is where the girl went, _Esposito insisted, _So unless those kids warned them we might be coming, they should be in there._

_I'm hearing two sets of heartbeats near you guys, _Beckett chimed in, _so quit 'talking' about it and go find them._

_Yes ma'am, _the two detectives replied. They opened the front door, Esposito wincing as the door creaked open in front of him. The two men moved room by room through the house, thankful to not find any rats or other whose scurrying might alert the two people they're looking for to their presence. At the base of the staircase, Ryan sensed the two people they were looking for. _They're upstairs, _projected Ryan.

_Five bucks says that staircase will creak the minute one of us steps foot on it, _insisted Esposito.

_No, no, I agree with you. _Ryan sized up the staircase and the space above it. _Javi, look up there. _Esposito looked where his partner pointed, noticing immediately the two foot-wide wall separation on the second floor. _We jump from here and brace ourselves on the walls up there. Miss the stairs entirely. They won't know we're coming yet._

The hesitation on Esposito's face was evident. _Are you sure about this, bro?_

_C'mon. _Ryan nudged him with a smile. _Warrior priest, warrior prophet, right? Five bucks says we can make it._

_Okay, _replied Esposito. _But you first._

Ryan shrugged, _Okay. _He pulled a mental count of three and jumped, bracing himself cleanly on the ceiling. His partner followed suit, jumping into the space just behind him. The two men scooted themselves along the wall until they reached the second floor landing. Ryan put his foot down gently on the second floor and

CREEEEEEEEEEEK

The sound startled the couple that Ryan and Esposito were pursuing; so much so that they both ran out into the hallway in a panic and right into the arms of the two waiting detectives. Ryan's heart immediately went out to the terrified girl shaking in his arms, and he poured every ounce of peace he could muster into the room, trying to get everyone to calm down. He felt it working when the once-terrified girl nearly went limp in front of him. Ryan pulled the girl back to her feet and pulled back his energy slightly. "It's okay, you two. We're NYPD. Detectives Ryan and Esposito." Ryan turned his attention back to the girl completely. "You must be Nazia?"

The girl nodded, tilting her head toward her boyfriend, "this is Tariq."

Esposito asked the pair, "is there some place where we can sit down?"

The still fearful pair nodded blankly and led them to a makeshift bedroom. As the four of them sat down, Nazia finally found the courage to speak. "Did my father send you?"

"No," Ryan replied, as evenly and calmly as he could. "We're investigating the murder of Sonam Kundun..."

If she wasn't already seated, Ryan swore Nazia's legs would have buckled out from under her. As it was, she seemed to have a great deal of trouble staying upright. Her voice choked out in a grief-filled sob, "No...not Sonam...no..."

Esposito looked from the grieving woman to the man who was still hovering over her, protecting her like she was a precious jewel. "Okay, I'm confused. Aren't *you* her boyfriend?"

Tariq shook his head. "No. Nazia and I are just friends, that's all."

Ryan joined his partner in eying Tariq with great skepticism. He opened his mind to the people in the room and discovered Tariq's level of honesty...as well as the reason for it. "Uh, Javi...he's telling the truth. She's his best friend, but that's it. Apparently, Tariq finds *you* far more attractive than he finds *her*."

Ryan expected to find his partner blushing. What he didn't expect to find were Nazia and Tariq wearing matching expressions of shock. It quickly became Ryan's turn to blush with embarrassment. "I...said that out loud, didn't I?"

Annoyed, Esposito nodded. Tariq was the first to find his voice. "How-how did you know?"

"I think I might know," Nazia admitted, in a voice that was barely above a whisper. She looked to Ryan with an expression that had turned almost serene. "One night Sonam told me one of his favorite bedtime stories from when he was growing up. It was about five brothers who created a force of protection around their temple that was so strong that no evil could possibly overtake it. And one of the brothers could read minds...Detective Ryan, that's what you did, wasn't it?"

Resigned to living where his big mouth had put him, Ryan nodded. Nazia continued, "then you also know why I can't go back to my father..."

Ryan reached a little deeper into Nazia's mind...and found the answer. "You're pregnant." Nazia nodded as Tariq pulled his embrace even more protectively around her. Putting two and two together, Ryan then asked, "the baby's Sonam's, isn't it?"

Nazia nodded again as the tears started to fall. "If Sonam is dead, then the only reason is because my father found out and killed him."

Ryan's mind reached out to his team. _Guys, Nazia's dad just jumped up to prime suspect status. Beckett, any sign of him?_

_I heard, _replied Beckett. _We need to get Nazia into protective custody._

Esposito told the girl, "Okay, we're going to put you in protective custody." At Nazia's quizzical look, he added, "It's someplace warm, safe and a hell of a lot better than this. Plus, it's going to be far away from your father. Okay?"

Nazia nodded as she accepted Tariq's help getting up. "Tariq's coming too, right?" When the two detectives hesitated in answering, Nazia insisted immediately, "If my father find him before he finds me Tariq will end up like Sonam. Where I go, he goes."

_Fine, Tariq goes too_, Beckett replied through the mind-link. The edge in her voice was obvious. _But we need to go *now*._

Ryan and Esposito got the young couple downstairs to find Beckett and Castle already waiting for them. Making *sure* he had switched back to his mind-voice, Ryan asked, _Shields up?_

Castle replied in a terrible fake Irish brogue, _Aye, captain._

Everyone rolled their eyes as Ryan continued, _Nazia and Tariq as well? _Castle nodded again as the group prepared to leave and get back to their cars.

The ping of a bullet off of Nazia's energy shield jolted everyone back to full attention. The group watched an older Pakistani man walk straight up to them with his gun pointed directly at Nazia's head. Tariq tried to run but was stopped by Nazia who grabbed him by the wrist and held him where he stood. "It's okay, Tariq," she insisted with great confidence. "This is the safest spot in the world, right here."

Ryan and Beckett had their guns leveled directly at the man approaching them. "NYPD! FREEZE!" Beckett yells almost directly into the man's ear. "Drop your weapon now!"

Castle had poured so much of his energy into keeping their shields at full strength that he has none left for a translation spell. Which meant that only Nazia, Tariq and Esposito could understand what the rage-filled man was screaming as he was forcibly separated from his weapon and handcuffed. "You filthy whore! It's bad enough that I had to find out you were screwing that Tibetan dog, but now I find you shacking up in an abandoned house with this maggot for a man! The devil himself must be protecting you if I couldn't put you down like the bitch that you are! Why...won't...you...just...die!"

Esposito face clearly showed the rage he was feeling. He turned to find Nazia standing tall despite the tears that were streaming down her face. He had a feeling that he knew who this raving lunatic was; all he needed was confirmation from Nazia and her shell-shocked friend. "Is this...?"

Nazia nodded, finding what she could of her voice. "Yes, detective, this is my father, Doctor Adnan Bhutani."

Esposito took a bit more pleasure than he needed to in pushing Adnan to their waiting car. To make sure there would be no legal argument, he spoke in perfect Urdu as he recited without the additions he was tempted to make, "Adnan Bhutani, you are under arrest for the attempted murder of Nazia Bhutani. You have the right to remain silent..."

* * *

**Hi guys! I know that the past two chapters have been the shortest of this story. This case took less to wrap it up than I thought it would. And I will warn you the epilogue I have planned for this story will go back to my normally long-winded self. ;-) Now, you guys know I don't normally beg for feedback...although if it weren't for phnxgrl and TheButterflyCurse 996 cracking the whip with comments after almost every chapter I might have given up altogether. Thanks you two! **

**Anyway, there are a couple of things I'd like to get from you guys:  
**

**1) Comments! I feel like I wrapped this one up too quickly, although I don't have a clue how I could have done it differently. I know you guys are out there reading (yes, I'm obsessive enough to check my story stats several times a day :-P), so please, please, please I'd love to hear from you. At this point I'd even be happy to hear "love the series, hope it continues". But feel free to leave details of what you liked, what you didn't like, where I could have gone into more detail and where I should have cut things a little shorter. Make it anonymous if you must, but I don't mind either way. I'd just love to hear from you guys, and I'm doing this specifically to improve my writing. So please press that lovely blue button below and leave a comment!  
**

**2) I would love to have an image to put with this series. I keep looking at Caskett images, but I don't feel like that would work. I need something that fits the Guardians as a group, not just Castle & Beckett. If anyone's good with image work and wants to create something original for the Four Winds series, the person whose image I pick would get credit for the image in every summary I use it for. Send me a PM if you're up for the challenge. :-)  
**

**3) Right now I'm planning for three, maybe four stories left in the series: a straight team case story, another crossover (telling you with what would spoil a major plot point), a story focusing primarily on Beckett and a story focusing primarily on Ryan. I would love to do a story focusing on Esposito/Esplanie, but I find him a tough character to write and can't for the life of me think of a good case that his Guardian gifts would be the key to breaking. So I'm throwing it out to you guys. Anyone got any ideas?  
**

**Well, thanks for listening to me ramble! Epilogue will be posted in the next couple of days, and then it's on to the next one! :-)  
**

**Laura  
**


	10. Chapter 10

Captain Victoria Gates watched as Ryan ushered the Pakistani translator into the box. It was no surprise that they had requested a translator; apparently the girlfriend's father was more than happy to give a full written confession. Apparently, according to the man's daughter, he had even bragged about it, calling the cold blooded torture and murder of Sonam Kundun an *honor killing*, of all things. "Honor killing, right." Gates muttered under her breath, watching the box from her office door. "Someone should make it illegal for those two words to be uttered together within the same breath."

What *was* a surprise to the captain, however, was the fact that this was the first time her team had called for a translator on this case. This had started out as a Chinatown murder; which usually meant the translators were getting paid time and a half for having to run all around town with her detectives. And after looking at their case updates, it was clear to Gates that her team should have needed translators in Tibetan, Urdu and probably Chinese and Hindi at various times during this investigation. Gates had tried to help the victim's mother find homicide the day she came in to give her statement, and it was obvious that the woman barely spoke any English. Yet the statement the woman had given Detective Beckett had been clear, eloquent and powerful.

Gates liked Beckett, and saw a lot of herself in the smart, doggedly determined, woman. But, Gates also understood that Beckett had a wildly renegade streak that could not be tolerated and needed to be put down permanently if the senior detective had any desire to advance beyond her current position. The captain allowed Beckett to keep her playboy writer/'partner' only because it kept them in good standing with the mayor's office. Although, it also didn't hurt that it kept her renegade detective on a short leash: Gates knew that the threat of pulling Castle's ride-along privileges was the one secret weapon she had when it came to keeping Beckett in line.

Yet...something else was going on with her troublesome senior detective and her 'partner'. Something Gates just could not pin down. Not their romantic relationship; everyone knew that Castle and Beckett were involved, maybe had been involved from the very beginning...and certainly they were still together after her reinstatement. Still, if ignoring their office romance was what it took to score brownie points with the higher ups, so be it.

But there was something else, something that smacked of things even more odd than having a playboy crime novelist as your 'partner'. And unless she was totally off base, Ryan and Esposito were in it just as deep as Beckett and her 'partner'. While it was boosting the teams' closing rates to near-perfect levels, there was something about the way the three cops and the writer were handling their cases lately that rubbed her the wrong way. Were they on the take? Of that, Gates wasn't sure. But there was no way in hell that they were doing everything by the book.

This was going to require much deeper investigation.

* * *

The spirit of Sonam Kundun watched his beloved Nazia protectively, whispering her words of love and encouragement as she watched her father from the observation room. Adnan Bhutani was hardly holding back, rather he was gloating about how he carefully tortured Sonam for information about his daughter's location, then crushed the back of the boy's skull when Sonam steadfastly refused to yield. Bhutani then went off about the various ways in which his daughter and her friends all deserved to die for defaming his 'honor'.

Ryan and Esposito took the statement in stone-faced silence, partly because Bhutani was doing a perfectly good job of giving them all the evidence they needed without any additional encouragement, and partly because both men knew they couldn't trust anything to come out of their mouths that wouldn't end up damaging the DA's case if this ended up going to trial.

Ryan focused his energies on taking down the statement and pouring as much peace into the room as he could; he could sense that his gift might be the only reason that the translator hadn't had to leave the room more than once to throw up over having to repeat the sick murderer's tirade.

Esposito, for his part, focused on organizing his thoughts from the afternoon's events. He quickly discovered that he could take the memories he didn't want to recall very much and set them deep in the back of his mind...and that he could create a special place of honor for the really good memories. It was in that place of honor that he chose to keep the memory of watching Nazia stare down her evil, twisted excuse for a father. He asked Castle and Beckett, _How's she doing, guys?_

_Better than I would be, _Castle replied. He watched the stoic, strong stance of the young woman in front of him and idly wished he had the capability to read her mind. Nazia never moved, and never wavered; she simply stood down her father just as she had on the street outside the abandoned house. Castle reminded her, "You know, you don't have to listen to this."

Nazia shook her head. "From this day on, every time I get tempted to miss my father, I want to remember this day. I want to remember how he sees me."

"And you won't be tempted to take what he's saying personally?" Castle asked.

For the first time since she entered the precinct, Nazia smiled. "Mr. Castle, today Allah proved he loves me so much that he sent real-life Guardian angels to protect me. After that, it's hard to take what the devil says personally."

Castle and Beckett found themselves breaking into smiles that matched Nazia's. Beckett asked, "So what will you do now?"

"I do not know," Nazia replied sadly. "My mother died giving birth to me. As much as my father now hates me, he was all I had."

The smiles on the Guardians' faces grew even wider. "Oh, I don't think he was *all* you had, Nazia," replied Beckett.

The detective opened the door to the observation room, and Castle led the confused girl out into the bullpen. He then stopped her halfway between the bullpen and the break room, hesitating as he tried to find the words to explain his actions. "Nazia, I..."

"Yes, what is it, Mr. Castle?"

"I need to let you know that I, uh, I put a spell on you," replied Castle. "I think it should last about a year and then fade away gradually after that."

"May I ask what the spell is for?"

"It's a translation spell. I'm hoping it will make it easier on you as you get to know the woman you're about to meet."

Now Nazia was even more confused. "And who is that woman, Mr. Castle?"

Castle stepped aside to let Nazia into the break room. Nazia stared, open-mouthed, at the woman she had, to that point, only seen in a crumpled up photograph that Sonam had kept in his wallet.

Choden Donha approached the girl tentatively, unsure of what to say. After a long, tense moment of silence, the older woman found the words she was looking for. "Are you the woman who loved my son?" Nazia nodded. "And the detectives tell me that you are carrying his child?" As Nazia nodded again, Choden took the girl's hands into her own. "Then, Nazia, I would like to be a mother to you as I will be a grandmother to your child...if you'll have me."

Nazia threw her arms around Choden, hugging her fiercely as the tears flowed uncontrollably down the cheeks of both women. Beckett crossed the break room to stand next to Castle at the room's entrance, blinking away her own unshed tears as she watched the two women. She grabbed on to her partner's hand, gaining strength from the closeness and connection. "Do you think this is why the journals call these powers a 'blessing', Castle?"

Castle squeezed his partner's hand as he wiped a few tears away from his own eyes. "Yeah," he replied, "I do."


	11. Chapter 11

It was a lovely, clear fall day in Central Park; the type of day most people like to think of when they picture the urban oasis. Ryan squeezed his wife's elbow as they walked arm-in-arm through the wooded pathways. "I know we still don't know what we're doing yet, but I just wanted to thank you for coming, honey," he told her.

"Anytime," she replied with a comforting smile.

They soon caught up to Lanie and Esposito. "Hey you two!" Jenny called to them in greeting. It wasn't long before Lanie caught her friend up in a hug. "How are you guys doing?" she asked Lanie.

"Can't complain, can't complain," Lanie replied with a smile. "How are you doing?"

"Finally got past the morning sickness, thank God..." Jenny began.

Ryan walked with his partner as Jenny caught Lanie up on the latest baby news. Esposito watched the two women with a gentle smile before turning to his partner to complain. "I *hate* wearing suits..."

"Yeah," Ryan countered, "but you look good."

"Lanie's idea," Esposito continued to grumble.

Ryan decided to try and get his partner's mind off the subject. "Hey, what are you guys doing for Thanksgiving?"

"Castle and Beckett's. You guys?"

"Double duty," Ryan groaned. "We gotta visit both families, and since Jen didn't want to tell anyone else about the baby until she was out of the first trimester..."

Esposito couldn't help but laugh at his partner's predicament. "Two Irish Thanksgivings where every woman in the room is going to be fawning all over your wife? Yeah, I don't envy you one bit, bro..."

Finally the group reached the spot Castle had directed them to. It was a midweek mid-morning, which made this section of the park completely deserted. The rock jutted out to a clear patch of sky, and atop the rock, somber and contemplative, sat Richard Castle.

The group went around to the rock's uphill side where the ascent was considerably easier. Ryan felt a gentle pressure behind him at points where the climb might have become a little challenging; he could only assume that the rest of his friends were feeling the same thing. He forced down a smile when he realized the only place that support could have come from. They all made it to the flat top of the rock easily, and turned to discover that Beckett had brought up the rear behind him. Ryan turned back toward his 'supportive' friend. "Okay Castle, we're all here. What did you invite us here for?"

"I didn't invite you," Castle replied. "He did."

The group turned around to look in the direction Castle was pointing to. They saw Nazia and Choden walking with a chattering Tenzin, who carried a wooden box in his hands. Esposito was finally grateful that Lanie had insisted on the suit when Castle had told them to dress *up*. "Bro, *Tenzin* invited us?"

Castle nodded. "He asked if we could give Sonam a Guardians' funeral, since Sonam was the one who brought the Guardians back into his life."

Esposito was on board immediately. "What do we need to do?"

"It's mostly just going to be an ash-scattering ceremony since the body's already been cremated," Castle replied to the group, "although, since there may be a few, uh, shall we call them spooky? moments, we need to make sure things are a little more...private..."

The group understood immediately. Beckett stretched her hearing to stay on alert for passers-by, and Ryan reached out to connect everyone in the group in a mind-link. When Tenzin's party reached the group, Castle looked to Beckett for a privacy okay, then threw all caution to the wind and simply floated the two women and the old man to the top of the rock.

While Tenzin took the ride in stride, Nazia could only shake her head in amazement while Choden was in outright awe. She looked to Castle in wonder. "When Tenzin told me everything last night, I tried to take him at his word, but now...wow..."

Ryan added the three new connections to the mind-link, then reminded the group, _Okay, everyone, we should all be connected mind-to-mind now, which will allow us to keep what we say private. Just be real careful what you're thinking..._

A few chuckles traveled across the mind link as the potential for 'saying' the wrong thing crossed everyone's minds at once. Castle then brought them back to the task at hand, _All right everyone, we are here today to honor the life journey of Sonam Kundun. Tenzin?_

Tenzin spoke slowly, carefully, leaning on the wisdom of his years to help him form the words in his mind. _We are here to celebrate your life, Sonam, and wish you a safe passage into the next one. I remember you as a child, Sonam. How you used to curl up in your mother's lap and ask her to tell you stories of your father, who died to give you a better life here in America. You were so curious about him...about everything. I pray that in the next life you will get the answers you seek._

Nazia next took her turn to speak. _I remember how you seemed to have a different spirit about you, Sonam. How from the moment we met you always dreamed of doing better, of *being* better. You said you loved me because I made you a better man for knowing you. I think you made me a better woman for being loved by you, sweetheart. I pray that in the next life you will be able to be the man you always wanted to be._

Then Choden took her turn to speak. _Sonam...my son...my little boy..._her mind-voice broke down as she collapsed in audible sobs of grief; finding the words to say goodbye to her son was proving almost impossible.

Finally, Sonam's spirit could stand by no longer. He appeared beside Beckett, begging, "Please, Lièrén, is there any way...?"

_Ryan, can you see-?_ Beckett asked, and Ryan replied with a quiet nod. _Can you link him in?_

He quietly considered the possibility, then replied with another quiet, quick nod. _I don't know how long I can keep it going, though, so make it count._

"I heard him, Lièrén...thank you," said Sonam.

A gasp went through the group as Sonam's spirit suddenly became visible to all. The sobs of a mother's grief changed to amazement and wonder in a heartbeat. It was a dream, it had to be, Choden was now convinced of it. She tried to take her son's hand into his own...only to have it pass straight through.

_Oh._

"Mom, please," Sonam begged. "I don't have much time. I just wanted to tell you how much I love you and I respect you and you're still the bravest, strongest woman I've ever met. I can't tell you how grateful I am that you took in Nazia and...and our baby." Sonam's voice choked on the thought of never getting to see his child grow up. "I know...I know that I wasn't the best son, or even a good son-"

"Stop, just...stop," Choden interrupted her son. "You are *my* son...and I love you with all my heart. And I will miss you...every...single...day..."

Choden's voice choked off again, so Sonam turned to his beloved. "I am so sorry I won't be there for you with...with..."

"But you will be," Nazia replied, "every time I look at our child I know I'm going to see you. And when I see them, you'll be in my heart, and in my mind, every second..."

Sonam turned to the man he always knew as Grandpa Tenzin. "Grandpa...I wish...I wish I had paid more attention to your wisdom. Maybe then I-"

"You died to protect your family, Sonam," Tenzin corrected him quickly. "And in your death you saved them, and me, and helped to usher in the new Age of the Guardians. I do not see how I could have taught you any better."

Sonam's spirit soared. "So maybe I wasn't such a screwup after all?"

"Well, you were," Tenzin replied wryly. "But you cleaned up well."

Sonam's spirit let out a chuckle that was shared by the rest of the group. A bright light appeared behind him, and he sensed that his time was short. So he turned to the group he was not able to know in life, but who were able to do so much for him on his death journey. "Thank you, Guardians, for all you have done for me and my family. I am humbled to now be considered even a tiny part of the great legacy."

"Be well, Sonam," Castle responded. May the lessons you learned in death serve you well in the next life."

As the spirit of Sonam Kundun was enveloped in the light, a haunting chant surrounded them. Castle knew immediately that it was Tenzin who was chanting through the mind-link. The wizard called up a gentle autumn breeze to carry Sonam's ashes through the park air as Tenzin continued his chant: _om mani padme hum,_ _om mani padme hum, om mani padme hum, om mani padme hum, om mani padme hum, om mani padme hum..._

The chant stopped abruptly, before the ashes were gone; partly because Ryan had no more energy to continue the mind-link...

...but mostly because Tenzin had collapsed, and was fighting simply to stay conscious himself. Lanie was by the old man's side and in her healing trance in a heartbeat. Remembering the overwhelming challenge Esposito had just shaking Tenzin's hand, Ryan poured what little energy he had into helping Lanie go through the examination. She pulled out of the trance, awestruck by what she had seen. "How *old* are you, Tenzin?"

Tenzin looked into the eyes of the Yīzhì, forcing himself to stay present long enough to finish his explanation. "We did not keep track of time then as you do now...but my best guess is that, by your time line, I would be 450 years old."

"But-but you're not a Guardian," exclaimed Castle.

"No, Master Sìfāng, I am not," Tenzin replied simply, fighting for every breath. "But they were my brothers. When we...fled Tibet, the Master Xiānzhī and I...we believed...the Age...of the Guardians...had ended...He stopped...treating me...as well as himself."

Castle remembered the rest of the legend from the journal. "So when he died..."

Tenzin smiled at the memory of his brother. "I am not...surprised...his spirit...came to you..." The old man raised his hand with great effort to point a finger at Esposito. "You remind me...very much...of him."

Lanie volunteered, "I could-" but then she stopped herself.

"No, Master Yīzhì," Tenzin replied peacefully. "It is...my time...to join...my brothers. But thank you...for thinking...of an old man."

Having partly recovered from his own exhaustion, Ryan found he was having trouble forming words. "But, Tenzin, we still have so much to learn..."

"You will learn...all your life...Master Mùshī. But I...thank the Gods...that they...let me see...the birth...of the new Age."

Beckett watched Tenzin's chest rise, and fall, and finally stop. She checked the old man's pulse and was about to declare him to have died when an unfamiliar voice stopped her.

"Lièrén, we have come for our brother."

Kate Beckett looked up to see five Buddhist monks watching her with matching serene expressions...and standing on the air *next* to the rock they were all sitting on. She felt Ryan make the connection with her mind and gawk with open disbelief. Ryan couldn't help himself as he asked her, _Are they-? _

_They ain't the Rolling Stones, _Beckett replied.

Ryan expanded the link to include the rest of the Guardians and his wife as Beckett moved away from Tenzin's lifeless body. She watched her friends going through various degrees of grief, mourning the death of the the wise and strange old man. "Your brother will be missed," Beckett told the group.

"Tenzin's humble service to the Guardians has earned him a place alongside us in heaven," the lead Guardian told her simply. "No more will be asked of him. I can think of no greater honor."

"Neither can I," Beckett replied sincerely. She watched, fascinated, as the Guardian she could only assume to be Ryan's counterpart prepared Tenzin to be moved to his final rest.

The spokesman for their predecessors noticed both Beckett's fascination and her hesitation to talk. As the other four Guardians lifted the lifeless form of Tenzin up on their shoulders, the spokesman turned his attention to Beckett. "What is your question, Lièrén?"

"Can I-can I call you?"

The Guardian gave her a knowing smile in response. "Do not worry, young Lièrén. When you are in need of us, we will be there."

**One more chapter to go! Don't forget to tip your server...uh, I mean leave a comment for your obsessively devoted fan fiction writer...:-)**


	12. Epilogue

**Okay, fair warning - This is a long chapter. For me, it's a *very* long chapter. I should probably break it into two chapters but I don't know where it would break well. I did warn you earlier that the epilogue would be long-winded and it is. However, it was a hell of a lot of fun to write, and I'm hoping you guys will enjoy.  
**

* * *

"Don't start Thanksgiving dinner without me, kiddo! I'll be back with the champagne before you know it!"

The loft's front door barely had a chance to click closed behind Martha before Castle was pushing his child with great persistence. "Remember, you *promised* not to say anything that could make Mother suspect about the Guardians, me, Beckett, Lanie or Esposito, agreed?"

Alexis rolled her eyes at her father's stubbornness as she popped a couple of peanuts into her mouth. "Dad, I still don't understand why you don't just tell her."

Castle was amazed that his incredibly intelligent daughter still failed to see his logic in keeping this a secret. He basted the turkey as he talked to her about it. "This is your grandmother we're talking about here, Alexis-you know, the local rumor mill? Remember when Kate and I first started dating? I don't think we were able to get her off the phone for a month!"

"And what about your feelings for Beckett *before* you guys hooked up?" countered Alexis smoothly. "Grams kept that secret for four years, even from *you*, until you were finally ready to see it. Besides, dad, she's your *mother*, for God's sake! I mean, if I suddenly developed superpowers, wouldn't you want me to tell you?"

Castle knew he had a perfect reply to that comment. "Of *course* I'd want you to tell me, Alexis," he replied, pulling her into a hug and kissing the top of her head. "After all, I already have superpowers..."

A knock on the door stopped Alexis before she had any chance to respond with anything other than a playful slap on the arm. The girl ran to the door and opened it, smiling as she found Kate Beckett on the other side. "Hi Kate!" Alexis exclaimed, embracing her father's girlfriend as best she could. "Can I take those pies for you?"

"Sure, Lex," Kate replied, "Thanks." Alexis took the pies from Beckett's arms and delivered them to the kitchen, which allowed Beckett to hang up her coat and hat before heading there herself. She snuck up behind Castle and wrapped her arms around him as he was peeling potatoes. "Happy Thanksgiving, Rick."

Castle put down the potato and vegetable peeler, twisting around in his girlfriend's arms until they were face to face and able to give each other a more intimate greeting. He found his voice only after their lips met and separated. "Happy Thanksgiving, Kate."

The couple pulled away from their embrace so Castle could get back to work on the meal. Beckett asked, "Anything I can do to help?" As Castle handed her a potato and a second peeler, Beckett continued, "So, you guys were talking about whether or not we should tell Martha about the Guardians?"

"Yes," Castle replied automatically, then doubled back as he realized what that might have sounded like. "I mean no! There's no discussion here, we're not telling her."

Beckett simply shrugged and got to work peeling her potato as she commented, "Well, I think we should tell her."

"You *do*?"

"Rick, I've told you this before. If I've learned anything this past year, it's that hiding things from the people closest to you is a colossally bad idea. It only makes your life harder than it needs to be."

Rick stared at his girlfriend, dumbfounded. "What about you, Kate? Did you tell your dad the other night?"

"No...but believe it or not, he suspects something."

"He...what?" Rick stopped peeling mid-potato to gawk at his girlfriend. "How could he?"

Alexis heard the knock at the door again, so she went to greet their guests while the 'adults' continued to talk. "At the end of dinner, as we were saying good night...he asked me if there was anything else going on besides us," Kate told him.

"And you didn't tell him anything?"

Kate shook her head. "He discounted his own instincts as not having a good 'father's intuition'."

"About what?" asked Lanie.

Rick and Kate looked up to see that Alexis had let in Lanie and Esposito while they were talking. "We were discussing how much Martha and my dad should know about the Guardians."

"You mean she doesn't know already?" Esposito asked.

Castle hesitated for a second before answering. "I've been...careful."

"Careful? In your own house?" Esposito shook his head sadly. "That's no way to live, bro."

"But why does your dad need to find out, Kate?" asked Lanie.

Kate took a drink of her ice water before answering. "Our conversation the other night ended...strangely. He suspects something's up with me, he told me that much."

"Do you think he knows?" Lanie asked before immediately retracting the statement. "About this? Who am I kidding, there's no way in hell anyone would ever guess something like *this*."

Alexis winced as she heard another knock at the door, slightly annoyed that she had to keep pulling herself out of the conversation to keep playing doorman. All annoyance vanished, though, when she saw the surprise visitors on the other side. "Kevin!"

Ryan scooped up into an embrace the girl he had started to think of as his little Guardian 'sister'. "Happy Thanksgiving, Lex!" It was then that he remembered a somewhat crucial oversight on his part. "My God, I just realized that you two haven't met yet..." Kevin stepped around Alexis so the two women could look at each other. "Jenny, this is Alexis. Alexis, I'd like you to meet my wife, Jenny."

Alexis held out her hand for a polite handshake. "It's nice to finally meet you, Jenny. Ryan's told me so much about you."

Jenny took one look at the red-haired girl in front of her and flushed briefly with embarrassment about her clearly mistaken set of previous assumptions. It was obvious to Jenny, even from this brief meeting, that Alexis was a smart, sweet and polite young woman...but that there was nothing between this girl and her husband but family. Jenny returned the handshake and pulled Alexis into a warm hug. "He's told me a lot about you, too. It's such a relief to finally put a face to the name."

"What are you guys doing here?" Alexis asked the couple, taking their coats and hats as she ushered them both into the loft. "I thought you were doing the Tour de family today."

"We are," Ryan replied as the couple walked with Alexis to the kitchen. He frowned at Alexis' continued puzzled expression. "What, you didn't think that included you guys?"

Alexis beamed as the conversation in the kitchen ceased so everyone could greet Ryan and Jenny. It didn't escape Alexis' notice that the full set of Guardians were now, unexpectedly, sitting in her kitchen. She turned to her father and teased, "Wow, it seems the universe is ganging up on you today, dad."

"Really?" asked Ryan. "About what?"

"Castle's trying to talk us out of letting a couple more people into the clubhouse," said Lanie.

Ryan could only shake his head, marveling at his friend's impressive stubborn streak. "This is still about your mom, isn't it? Wait, you guys said a couple of people. So your dad then, too, Beckett?" When the couple nodded, Ryan went on, "I don't understand the hesitation, guys. I thought immediate family would be a gimme, especially since your mother lives here."

"Apparently Castle's mom has a fondness for gossip," said Esposito.

"Yeah, but this is your *mother*, Castle," insisted Jenny. "I don't know any half-decent parent who wouldn't walk over hot coals if that's what it took to keep their child safe. Remember Sonam and Nazia? I'm sure your mother would do no less for you."

Castle was starting to see that this was an argument he was never going to win. "All right," he relented with a loud sigh, "We'll tell them as soon as both of them get here."

"Tell us what, dears?"

The group looked up to find Martha and Jim standing in the entryway, Martha carrying a bag with both champagne and sparkling cider. "I ran into Jim in the hallway as I was coming back from the liquor store. It was such a lovely surprise, since we weren't expecting him until much closer to dinner time..."

Castle could only shake is head in disbelief.  
Alexis was right.  
The universe *was* ganging up on him.

"Mother, let me take the drinks. You're going to want to sit down for this," said Castle.

"You too, Dad," Beckett agreed.

Jim and Martha took seats together on the couch, and they were soon surrounded by the rest of the group. Kate decided to begin the conversation. "Do you remember the other night at the diner? When you asked if there was something going on besides my relationship with Rick?" As Jim nodded, Kate continued, "There is something going on, Dad. But it involves all of us, so I couldn't tell you about it until now."

Jim looked to Castle's mother to see if she was any less confused than he was...only to find the look on Martha's face did indeed mirror his own. He turned back to his daughter for answers. "What's this about, Katie?"

Castle began telling the story. "About six weeks ago I invited Ryan, Esposito and Lanie over for a poker night with Kate and I while you were out of town, mother. That evening, the loft got struck by lightning."

Martha was having trouble believing her ears. "Oh Richard, darling, this is starting to sound like one of those god-awful superhero movies I did back in the 70s. Next you're going to tell me you all woke up the next morning with superpowers..."

Her eyes widened as Martha saw the looks the five people in question were giving each other in response to her last statement. "Have you lost your minds? *This* is what you're trying to tell us?" The older woman got up from the couch, determined to get out of this crazy conversation. "I've heard some wild tales from you in the past, Richard Alexander Rodgers, but this one, well, this takes it. And to think you've roped your friends into it as well..."

Jim was having his own doubts. "I mean, you gotta admit, Katie, this all does sound pretty bizarre..."

"I know, Dad," Kate was trying her best to be reassuring. "And if I was in your shoes I wouldn't have believed it either. But it's the truth."

"So what are these superpowers you all 'supposedly' have?" Martha demanded, her voice dripping with the sarcasm of unbelief.

"Mother, if you'll just sit back down, I'll tell you," insisted Castle.

"Not until I get myself a drink, first," Martha replied with equal speed.

Castle seized upon the opportunity. He turned around and knelt on the couch so he could still see his mother from the semi-seated position. "It's still early yet, mother. Would you care for a bloody mary, perhaps?"

The drink instantly appeared in Martha's hand, celery stick and all. Martha stared at the beverage in disbelief. Tasting it, she only half-realized the drink tasted as if she had made it herself: fresh lemons, pepper-infused vodka and all.

"Do you believe me now, Mother?" Castle replied.

"Nice t-trick there, kid," Martha responded, a little nervous and defensive. "Next you'll give me some aspirin to go with my breakfast here."

Castle nonchalantly waved through the request. "If you'd like."

Martha felt something in her closed left hand. She opened it to find two aspirin in the hand that had been empty not a second earlier. The world seemed to be suddenly spinning a little too fast for her. "I think I need to sit down," Martha exclaimed.

Jim watched the whole exchange in disbelief. He turned and asked his daughter, "So all of you can do things like that, now?"

Kate shook her head. "Each one of us has a different ability."

Jim asked her warily, "So what's yours?"

"My senses are all...enhanced, you could say," Kate replied. She had been thinking of a way to prove her ability when she noticed something interesting in the air around her dad. "Is that a new cologne, Dad? It smells kinda, well, girly..."

Jim's mouth dropped open in shock. "I was in Macy's and got assaulted by this over zealous perfume girl...but that was three days ago, Katie. You can still smell it?"

Kate nodded. "There's just a trace amount of it left, but it's still there."

"And all your senses are enhanced that strongly?" Kate nodded again. "My God..."

Martha listened carefully to the exchange between Kate and her father. It was as if the connection between the two demonstrations pulled the curtain of disbelief away from her eyes. "So it...it's true...all five of you?" The other three Guardians nodded their heads in support. Martha then noticed that the third member of the Rodgers clan was not nearly as shocked by the day's events as she was. "Alexis? Don't tell me you knew about this all along?"

Alexis blushed under her grandmother's accusatory glare. "I was out in the Hamptons when everybody dropped in looking for a place to get used to their new abilities the day after it happened. I kinda caught Dad in the act, you could say."

"You and I are going to have a talk about being honest with your family, young lady..." A new realization dawned on Martha as she reprimanded her granddaughter. "Come to think of it, why *are* you telling us this now?"

"Like you said, you're family," Ryan replied simply...which reminded him of where else he needed to be that day. "Speaking of family," he added, nudging his wife, "we should probably go, if we're not going to be late for our *other* family."

"Want me to drop you guys somewhere?" Castle volunteered.

Ryan looked to his wife. _You okay with taking the wizard train? _he asked her.

_Wizard train? _Jenny asked, her eyebrow raised at her husband's choice of words.

_It's Castle's form of teleportation, _replied Ryan.

Ryan heard his wife chuckle through the mind link. _I take it you've done this before?_

_Yeah, a few times. It's a little disorienting, but we'd get to your parents in under a minute instead of an hour and a half on the subway._

_I could definitely go for that, _replied Jenny.

Ryan told his friend, "I just got the okay from the wife. Thanks, Castle."

Martha watched the exchange, totally confused. She let out a nervous chuckle as she asked the couple in front of her, "I'm sorry, I must be going deaf over here. Were you two talking to each other just now?"

It took Ryan a second to remember how little they had actually told Martha beyond Castle and Beckett's abilities. "My...'gift' is telepathy, Mrs. Rodgers. Once I connect with someone's mind, we no longer have to speak to communicate."

"Ah," Martha was trying to take the increasingly surreal revelations in stride, but it was proving to be next to impossible. She held her head in her hands, trying to 'process' everything she had seen and heard.

A feeling of peace and tranquility like nothing Martha had ever experienced filled her soul and eased the edge of fear and panic from her emotions. She looked over to see that Ryan had sat down on the couch next to her, with an expression that she could only describe as concerned, but serene. "This...feeling, I take it that's not coming from me?"

Ryan shook his head. "You looked overwhelmed, Mrs. Rodgers. And I know it's a hell of a lot to take in all at once. I just figured I'd try to help take the edge off of that, even if only for a little while."

"Please, dear, call me Martha. And you're right, it did help. Thank you."

"Then call me Kevin. And my wife over there is Jenny." Ryan stood up. "Now, as much as I would like to stay and spend Thanksgiving with everyone here, we *have* to go."

Martha got up and blocked Ryan's path to his wife until he allowed the older woman to pull him into a warm hug. "Don't be a stranger, you two. With a gift like that, I might never have to see the inside of a spa ever again."

Ryan chuckled at that as he crossed the room to join his wife and Castle. "So," the wizard asked his friends, "where to?"

"If I give you an idea of a place, do you think you can get us there?" asked Ryan.

Castle recalled the night he had to pop into the warehouse to protect Alexis. "I've worked with a lot less. Shouldn't be a problem."

Martha nudged Kate as Ryan projected the desired target location into Castle's mind. "What are they doing?"

"Just wait," Kate replied, smiling expectantly.

Martha gasped as she watched her son and his friends disappear in the blink of an eye. She started to move to examine the spot where Castle had been when Kate stopped her. "We need to keep that spot clear for another minute or so, Martha."

"Whatever for..." Martha's question was answered before she had a chance to ask it as Castle returned. The older woman gawked openly at her son. "I-I thought all you could do was little things...parlor tricks come to life. But, but this...where are Kevin and Jenny?"

"Brooklyn," Castle replied, "with her family."

"My God..." Martha stared at her son in amazement...until an idea popped into her head. "Richard, darling, it has been decades since I've had the opportunity to visit Bali. Is there any chance we could possibly..."

Castle groaned as he listened to his mother's desire to fully exploit his gifts to her advantage. But deep in his heart, he also sighed with relief. For it was at that moment that he knew, with absolute confidence, that his family...his whole family...was going to be just fine.

* * *

Thanksgiving turned out to be a more interesting, entertaining and surprising holiday than any of them could have possibly imagined. Castle was thrilled to be able to use his gifts in his own home without restriction and took full advantage, turning the kitchen into something that looked straight out of the "Sorcerer's Apprentice", only with (slightly) more control. Accidents still happened, though, which allowed Martha and Jim to watch in amazement as Lanie healed the various cuts and burns Castle acquired with the touch of her hands.

At the end of the evening, Castle and his family were relaxing at the dinner table, enjoying the pies that Beckett had brought and conversation about all of the wild, wonderful and generally crazy aspects of their 'blessing'.

"I'm curious about something," Jim asked. "While this has been a really amazing day on *so* many levels, you don't play with these powers just to amuse each other, do you?"

Beckett shook her head. "We all use our gifts in different ways every day, Dad, both in the field and at home. Castle's got a couple of spells that have been particularly helpful on the job."

That sparked Martha's curiosity. "Really? How so?"

"My specialty," Castle replied, "is a head-to-toe energy shield. It's kind of like a cross between Kevlar and Star Trek. Totally bulletproof."

Martha's eyes widened. "Do you use this shield on just yourself?"

Castle shook his head. "I use it on our team all the time, not just me. Although it's a ton of energy to manage at once, so I can't add shields for more than one or two more people beyond us five yet."

Martha and Jim squeezed their children's hands and Castle and Beckett smiled in return. The Guardians all understood immediately what had been left unspoken: the greatest fear a cop's (or a pseudo-cop writer's) family had was that something terrible could happen to them on the job...especially getting shot. For the families of the Guardians, that fear was now all but gone.

Castle's mom decided to break the silence by turning the group to a different topic. "So Javier," Martha asked between a sip of coffee and a bite of pie, "you never did tell us what particular 'gift' you had been blessed with."

Esposito blushed. "To be honest, Martha, I'm not all that comfortable talking about it. Anyway, how do I word this...when I touch somebody, I guess you could say I 'acquire' their life story: their memories, skills, experiences, and what their future looks like at that point in their lives."

"Really?" Martha exclaimed, fascinated. "You're aware that I'm an actress, right?" When Esposito nodded, Martha continued, "Well, when I play a character, I try to do the same thing. Although unless I'm playing a real person, most of what I do is just making up the story from the context of the play itself. May I see how you work?"

"Sure," Esposito shrugged, "why not. Although, I gotta warn you, I'll see everything. Even stuff you may not have ever told anybody else or would ever *want* to tell anyone else."

"My life is an open book, Javier," Martha replied with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Read away."

She placed her hand on the table next to her, and Esposito leaned over to cover it with his own. After a trance of a few furious seconds, he pulled back, opening his eyes with a sly smile. "Ms. Rodgers," Esposito addressed her with renewed respect, "You make me wish one of us had the ability to travel back in time."

It quickly became Martha's turn to blush as Lanie eyed her boyfriend with a mix of curiosity and suspicion. "Really Javi? And why is that?"

"Lanie, in her day, Castle's mom could have out-partied everyone at this table. Combined. Probably twice over. There was this time with Halston and Richard Burton at Studio 54-"

Castle cut off the sentence before he was potentially scarred for life. "I think my mother gets the picture, Esposito."

Martha blushed an even deeper shade of red even as she laughed at the memory and her son's reaction to it. "I most certainly do, Richard, thank you. And you are right, Javier, I actually didn't remember that day until you mentioned it. I certainly haven't mentioned it to anyone else. I trust you will keep it in confidence as well?" Esposito nodded respectfully, for which Martha was gratefully relieved. "Thank you. But, I still have one question for you, Richard," Martha asked. "Why now? After all this time, why did you choose today to tell me about all of this?"

"Partly, it was because Kate wanted to tell her dad and it would just kill two birds with one stone to tell you both..."

Martha knew that her son was dodging her question. "Richard..."

Castle finally got around to admitting the truth...even if it was at a volume where everyone but Beckett had to strain to hear it. "And mostly...mostly because I wanted to feel like I could be *me* in my own house again."

Martha's heart filled with compassion for her ever more amazing son. She crossed the room to get down on her knees next to her son, taking his hands in her own to punctuate the point. "You listen to me, Richard. I love you no matter who you are, what you do or how crazy your life gets. Don't ever, *ever* think you can't come to me about anything that's going on, you got that?"

Castle's heart softened as he realized how much of Alexis' compassion and strength she got not from him, but from his mother. "Yes, ma'am."

As mother and son embraced, Jim remembered the one thing *he* had wanted to talk with his daughter about when he walked into the loft that morning...and it had nothing to do with superpowers. "Wow...after everything that's happened today I just remembered the one thing I wanted to talk to you about, Katie...it seems kind of tiny by comparison."

Now it was Beckett's turn to squeeze her father's hand for support. "What is it, Dad?"

"I was thinking about moving back into the city. It struck me after we last talked how much I missed hearing from you. It had been so long since we talked before that, and *clearly* so much happened in that time...well, I just figured if I lived closer maybe we wouldn't grow so far apart again."

Beckett smiled, "I'd really like that, Dad. Have you found a place yet?"

Jim shrugged, "I haven't even started looking, to be honest. I wanted to see what you thought first."

Grateful beyond words that Ryan wasn't there to out him, Castle *tried* to make it look like he had just had a 'lightbulb idea' moment. "Hey, maybe you can sublet Kate's place..."

Beckett caught on immediately. "Rick, you want me to move in here, don't you?"

"Yes, Kate, I do," Castle replied matter-of-factly. "This is as much your home as your apartment is, probably more so if the amount of time you spend here is any indication. I love you, my mother loves you, my daughter loves you-"

Beckett put a finger to her boyfriend's lips to silence him while she draped her other arm over his shoulder. "You know, Castle, all you had to say was yes."

Castle's eyes widened as Beckett moved her finger away from his lips. "So yes? You'll move in with me yes?" Beckett nodded, and Castle pulled her up out of her chair into an enormous hug.

Lanie and Esposito where thrilled for their friends. "Congratulations, you guys!" Lanie exclaimed, pulling Beckett out of Castle's hug and into an embrace of their own.

As the girls pulled out of their hug, Beckett turned to her father smiling from ear to ear. "I guess the apartment's yours if you want it, Dad."

"Deal!" Jim declared, before pulling his daughter into their own embrace.

"This calls for a toast!" Martha exclaimed.

She started to walk to the kitchen for the bottle of champagne when Castle stopped her. "Mother, allow me."

Seven filled champagne flutes appeared on the table. "Jim, your glass as well as Alexis' are both filled with sparkling cider."

While Alexis pouted slightly, Jim nodded his thanks as everyone picked up their glasses. The elder Beckett raised his glass and said the two words he felt were the only appropriate words to use to toast this spectacular holiday...

"To family."

* * *

**Well, that's it! Thank you everyone for all the wonderful comments about the previous chapter and all throughout the story. And yes, I know I wasn't planning on telling Martha anytime soon (and Jim possibly at all). The characters just seemed to insist on it...the only one on my side of the argument was Castle. (Anyone else ever have that happen? Or am I the only crazy one?) Aanyway...I hope you all enjoyed it. Don't forget to leave a comment if you did! While I'll probably post the first chapter of the next story soon (you guys all know how crazy I am), more comments will definitely inspire me to write faster!**


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